Humza Yousaf has pledged to do “everything he can” to bring home a Scot who has been detained for five years in an Indian jail.
The First Minister met with the family of Jagtar Singh Johal, 35, on Tuesday and discussed his predicament, five years after he was arrested in Punjab, northern India.
Jagtar, from Dumbarton, says he has been subjected to torture and faces the death penalty over his activism and campaigning for Sikh human rights. He is accused of involvement in a number of political killings in Punjab, but a panel of UN legal experts has found that his detention is arbitrary.
Jagtar's brother, Gurpreet Singh Johal, who met with Yousaf, said: "I’m grateful that the First Minister took the time to meet me, so soon after getting the job. He’s been following Jagtar’s case for a long time, recognises he is arbitrarily detained and told me he’ll do everything he can to bring my brother home.
"The Scottish Government’s position is clear and unequivocal: there is no legal basis for Jagtar’s detention and he should be set free.”
Jagtar has appeared in court almost 200 times since his arrest but has faced endless delays. He has repeatedly had to endure the cancellation of start dates to his trial, with just one of 200 witnesses questioned so far.
Following the meeting with Gurpreet, Yousaf said: “I know has been an extremely difficult and distressing time for Jagtar’s family, and their resilience in the face of this ordeal has been extraordinary.
“We continue to call for Jagtar’s immediate release in line with the recommendations of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention.
“Although this issue is reserved, I and the Scottish Government will continue lobbying the FCDO and UK Government to use every lever at their disposal to call for Jagtar’s release, and raising the case with Indian authorities on Mr Johal’s behalf.”
Maya Foa, director of human rights organisation Reprieve, which has been assisting the family in the case, added: “Indian prosecutors have had more than five years to come up with a case against Jagtar and have produced no credible evidence.
"Trials brought in these courts routinely take decades to resolve, due to endless delays. A young British man is being robbed of his youth, on trumped-up charges, and faces being sentenced to death."
A Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office spokesperson said: “We have consistently raised our concerns about Mr Johal’s case directly with the Government of India, including his allegations of torture and his right to a fair trial - we are committed to doing what we can to assist him.”
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