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A British Sikh campaigner is facing a possible death sentence after the UK intelligence services passed on information about him to the Indian authorities, according to a high court complaint.
Lawyers for Jagtar Singh Johal from Dumbarton, Scotland, say he was tortured, including being given electric shocks, after his unlawful arrest in the Punjab in 2017 where he had travelled for his wedding.
The campaign group Reprieve, which is representing him, says it has uncovered documents suggesting MI5 and MI6 tipped off the Indian authorities about Johal.
“No one should ever be tortured, especially not with the assistance of the UK government,” it said in a petition about the case.
Johal’s brother, Gurpreet Singh Johal, a solicitor and Labour councillor in West Dunbartonshire, told the Guardian he was “astonished” to discover the UK’s involvement.
He said: “We’ve repeatedly been told that they are raising the case at the highest level. It feels as if it was all just lip service. They’ve never told us what they’re actually doing.”
He added: “Jagtar’s wife is heartbroken because she really came to the UK thinking that the UK government will be bringing her husband home.”
This month, Johal’s lawyers, Leigh Day, lodged a claim in the high court against the Foreign Office, the Home Office and the attorney general, his brother confirmed.
www.theguardian.com
Lawyers for Jagtar Singh Johal from Dumbarton, Scotland, say he was tortured, including being given electric shocks, after his unlawful arrest in the Punjab in 2017 where he had travelled for his wedding.
The campaign group Reprieve, which is representing him, says it has uncovered documents suggesting MI5 and MI6 tipped off the Indian authorities about Johal.
“No one should ever be tortured, especially not with the assistance of the UK government,” it said in a petition about the case.
Johal’s brother, Gurpreet Singh Johal, a solicitor and Labour councillor in West Dunbartonshire, told the Guardian he was “astonished” to discover the UK’s involvement.
He said: “We’ve repeatedly been told that they are raising the case at the highest level. It feels as if it was all just lip service. They’ve never told us what they’re actually doing.”
He added: “Jagtar’s wife is heartbroken because she really came to the UK thinking that the UK government will be bringing her husband home.”
This month, Johal’s lawyers, Leigh Day, lodged a claim in the high court against the Foreign Office, the Home Office and the attorney general, his brother confirmed.
British Sikh activist ‘tortured in India after tip-off from UK intelligence’
Lawyers for Jagtar Singh Johal say he was given electric shocks after unlawful arrest in Punjab in 2017
