The newly appointed government Envoy for Complex Consular Cases, Alistair Burt, met with the family of detained human rights activist, Jagtar Singh Johal, who has now been imprisoned in India for almost nine years.
Mr Burt, a former UK minister for the Middle East, met with Gurpreet Singh Johal at the FCDO office in East Kilbride, joined by Reprieve Deputy CEO, Dan Dolan.
The creation of the post is a positive step in Jagtar’s case, who was abducted by plain clothes police officers in India in 2017 when he was in the country to get married. Once arrested, he was tortured and forced to confess to trumped-up political charges. He was acquitted last year by a court in India, but remains in prison, separated from his wife and family, while eight duplicate cases based on the same allegation and facts proceed through the courts – a clear example of double jeopardy and a process that could take decades.
Following the meeting, both Gurpreet and Dan spoke with BBC Scotland journalist Katie Hunter, emphasising the importance of the meeting, but making it clear that this new appointment must be backed up with real action to bring Jagtar home.
Speaking after the meeting, Gurpreet Singh Johal said:
“I’m glad Alistair Burt made the effort to come up to Scotland to meet me. That means something – and he’s now heard for himself how much damage Jagtar’s imprisonment has done to our family. Now comes the real test. Does he have the authority to resolve the situation? And does the UK Government have the political will to bring my brother home?”
Reprieve Deputy CEO, Dan Dolan, said of the meeting:
“The special envoy role was created for cases like Jagtar’s – this is an early test of its reach and authority. While our meeting today showed Alistair Burt is engaged and committed, he must ensure the UK Government ups its game and does what it takes to bring years of diplomatic failure to an end. If he does it will at last signal to the world that the government will act vigorously to protect the lives of British citizens arbitrarily detained overseas.”
You can listen to Gurpreet and Dan’s interviews on BBC Scotland’s Drivetime show here, and to Gurpreet’s interview with the Radio Scotland Breakfast show here.
