Protecting Human Rights
JAGTAR SINGHJOHAL
BRITISH SIKH ACTIVIST JAGTAR SINGH JOHAL
JAGTAR SINGH JOHAL, a British Sikhi Activist, was unlawfully detained.
The case of Jagtar Singh Johal is a disturbing illustration of how human rights can be violated in India, a country where the criminal justice system is frequently employed to persecute and repress political dissidents and minority groups. It is crucial that the world community continue to follow his case and show support for him and other Indian victims of human rights abuses.
Jagtar Singh Johal: Who is he?
A 35-year-old British national from Dumbarton, Scotland named Jagtar Singh Johal has been wrongfully imprisoned in India since 2017. He is being held on fabricated political accusations that are punishable by death and are based on a "confession" that Jagtar was forced to sign under duress.
The UK's MI5 and MI6 intelligence services may have provided a tip-off that resulted in his capture and torture, according to the most recent news.
As Reprieve demands Jagtar Singh Johal's release and UK accountability, the former Indian Army officer is suing the UK government.
What is the tale of Jagtar Singh Johal?
Human rights activist Jagtar Singh Johal left his home in Dumbarton, Scotland, and journeyed to India to get married in October 2017.
Three weeks after his wedding, on November 4, 2017, Jagtar was detained in Jalandhar, Punjab. Jagtar was taken off the street, hooded with a sack, and put into a police car when he and his wife were out shopping. After being apprehended, Jagtar was immediately placed in police custody. He was detained without contact for ten days and denied access to a lawyer, his family, or a representative of the British High Commission.
He endured horrendous torture while being held. Jagtar signed blank pieces of paper and made video remarks in an effort to stop the suffering, and the documents were later presented by the authorities as a "confession" The UN, Amnesty International, and India's own Law Commission have all reported how frequently Indian police utilise torture.
Jagtar is in grave danger of receiving the death penalty. In eight of the fabricated political cases against Jagtar, he is accused of crimes that are punishable by the death penalty. Given the politicisation of his case, there is a considerable likelihood that Jagtar will receive a death sentence.
The length of Jagtar's detention is over five years. His arrest was deemed arbitrary and against international law by the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary arrest in May 2022. The Working Group found that Jagtar was "subjected to torture" and that his arrest "lacks [a] legal basis," was motivated by "discriminatory grounds" because of his Sikh faith and "status as a human rights defender."
In a report by the UK's Investigatory Powers Commissioner's Office (IPCO), which describes how MI5 and MI6 transferred information about a British national to foreign authorities who then imprisoned and tortured them, Jagtar's legal team has argued that he matches the description of an anonymized individual.
When there was a genuine possibility that Jagtar may be subjected to torture, cruel treatment, or the death penalty, the legal action contends that UK intelligence agencies improperly communicated material with the Indian government. Jagtar is requesting compensation for the injury he has endured and is requesting that the UK Government admit that its actions were illegal, express its regret in front of the world, and call for Jagtar's release.
What was done by Jagtar Singh Johal?
Jagtar is a human rights advocate who used online blogging to draw attention to atrocities of the Sikh community in India. His blog demanded justice for the infamous anti-Sikh pogroms that occurred in India in 1984. A form of organised violence against a marginalised community is a pogrom.
The authorities in India targeted Jagtar "because of his activities as a Sikh practitioner and supporter and because of his activism in writing public posts calling for accountability for alleged actions committed against Sikhs by the authorities," according to an investigation by experts at the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention.
As a result of this targeting, Jagtar is being tried in India on politically motivated false accusations, which carries a death sentence. Given how politically charged Jagtar's case is, there is a considerable likelihood that he will receive the death penalty.
What keeps Jagtar Singh Johal incarcerated?
Jagtar is allegedly being held in an Indian prison in order to stand trial there, although his case has made no notable progress in nearly five years. On May 4, 2022, experts at the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention concluded that Jagtar had been held in custody for years "even though there is no judicially admissible evidence against [him] and despite intelligence agencies having had over three years to investigate," adding that "mere assertions by the [Indian] Government that legal procedures have been followed are not sufficient."
The Working Group came to the conclusion that Jagtar has been imprisoned on unfair grounds because of his status as a human rights advocate as well as his political activism, religious beliefs, and personal viewpoints. They discovered that Jagtar's kidnapping, arrest, and incarceration had no legal justification. Additionally, they proclaimed that Jagtar should be liberated right now. But he is still being held today.