First Minister Humza Yousaf has urged the UK Government to ask for the immediate release of a Scots man imprisoned in India for more than five years. Jagtar Singh Johal, from Dumbarton, was locked up in Punjab, northern India, while he was there for his wedding in 2017 amid accusations he was involved in a political murder plot.
He said he has been tortured, including through electric shocks, and faces the death penalty over his activism and campaigning for Sikh human rights. Yousaf met Gurpreet Singh Johal, the brother of Jagtar Singh Johal, earlier this month and vowed to keep lobbying for his release. "The clear recommendation of the report was that Jagtar Singh Johal should be immediately released. Yet Jagtar remains in prison. I am therefore writing to ask that you make a direct approach to the Government of India to ask for Jagtar's immediate release in line with the UN Working Group's unequivocal recommendation.
A Foreign Office spokesman 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."