THE Labour Government must deliver more than “empty talk” and secure the release of a Scot detained in India, his brother has said after a meeting with the Foreign Secretary.
Jagtar Singh Johal’s brother, Gurpreet, met with David Lammy in Westminster on Wednesday morning, and said he had been left feeling more hopeful than after similar meetings with the previous Tory government.
Dan Dolan, the director of advocacy and policy of the human rights organisation Reprieve, said that both Keir Starmer and Lammy had acknowledged that Jagtar’s detention had no legal basis while in opposition, and called on them to live up to those words now in power.
Jagtar – a blogger who had drawn attention to human rights abuses against Sikhs in India – has been detained in the country for seven years despite authorities producing “no physical evidence, no email trail, no CCTV footage, no record of a bank transfer, no notes or recordings of telephone calls”, Reprieve said.
A UN Working Group has said that his detention is "arbitrary" and should end immediately. In 2022, Starmer wrote in a letter to the then-prime minister: "When a UK national has been so gravely mistreated, with no legal basis, the UK Government must act decisively to negotiate their release."
Gurpreet Singh Johal, a Labour councillor in West Dunbartonshire, said after meeting with Lammy on Wednesday: “Over the last seven years, I’ve heard a lot of empty talk from previous foreign secretaries about my brother’s case. After today’s meeting I’m a lot more hopeful that this new Government will do what is right.
“David Lammy listened to what we had to say and the solutions we proposed – unlike his predecessors. But the proof is in the pudding – and that means getting Jagtar out of prison and back to Dumbarton.”
Reprieve’s director of advocacy and policy Dan Dolan said: “The Foreign Secretary and Prime Minister both took strong, principled positions on Jagtar’s case in opposition, recognising that he is arbitrarily detained and saying the Government should seek his release. We’re calling on them to honour those commitments.
“They have an opportunity to do better than the last government and bring Jagtar home to his family in Dumbarton.”
A UK Government spokesperson said: "The Foreign Secretary met Mr Johal’s brother, Member of Parliament [Douglas McAllister], and a representative from Reprieve today.
"The UK Government is committed to working for faster progress on Jagtar’s case, and FCDO consular staff continue to support Mr Johal and his family."
