Over 70 UK MPs raise serious concerns of torture of Jagtar Singh Johal

Over 70 UK MPs have raised serious concerns of the detention and torture of British national Jagtar Singh Johal following India’s lack of response to an urgent appeal from three high level United Nations experts to investigate the serious allegations of torture and as new details of his alleged torture emerged for the first time.

The urgent appeal was sent following a request by human rights organisations REDRESS and Ensaaf.

Following his arrest in November last year, Jagtar, a British national, alleges that he suffered severe torture by the Indian police during his early detention. Seven months after the alleged torture, he remains in detention and has still not been provided with an independent medical examination despite repeated requests by his lawyers. In a handwritten account testifying to his treatment, made public by his family for the first time, Jagtar describes being “stripped and beaten”. He states that he was tortured repeatedly over the course of a number of days.

The joint urgent appeal to the Government of India was sent on 29 January 2018 by the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture; the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief, and the Vice-Chair of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention following a request by human rights organisations REDRESS and Ensaaf. India has not yet provided a response to the urgent appeal, according to the latest information received by REDRESS.

Jagtar has still not been granted an independent medical examination. As far as REDRESS is aware India has taken no steps to investigate the allegations.

Read more about Jagtar’s case here.

Read the letter in full here.