Jagtar Singh Johal released from prison in India
Jagtar Singh Johal had been granted bail last month, and has now been released from prison.
Scottish activist Jagtar Singh Johal has been released from prison in India after being detained for almost nine years with no conviction.
The 39-year-old from Dumbarton had been arrested in 2017 on alleged terror offences. Indian authorities said he had a role in a series of killings of religious and political figures, something Mr Johal has denied.
He was granted bail at Delhi High Court on September 18, but has now been released from Delhi’s Tihar prison on bail. He had to surrender his passport as part of his bail conditions.
He was embraced by his mother-in-law and father-in law after leaving the jail in Janakpuri, in the south-west of the city.
Mr Johal was also pictured receiving flowers and a bright orange saropau, an honorary garment given in Sikh tradition to convey respect.
Mr Johal’s brother, Gurpeet Singh Johal, said the decision to grant bail represented a “really important milestone”, and added: “It is just a first step, but it is a step in the right direction.”
He said: “There have been so many setbacks and disappointments in the last nine years that I didn’t dare to believe it until I saw Jagtar walking out of the prison gates with my own eyes. The last two weeks have been torture.
“I’ll sleep well tonight, knowing that he’s not behind bars. Tomorrow morning, the fight continues, because he’s still on trial and facing the death penalty for something he didn’t do, trapped in a sham legal process designed to punish him for standing up for human rights.
“We’ll keep on fighting until he’s home with us. Now it’s over to the UK government to get it done.”
First Minister John Swinney described the development as “really welcome,” and said he hoped he would be back in Scotland soon.
Speaking to journalists in Holyrood, Mr Swinney said: “I am very pleased to hear that Jagtar Singh Johal has been released from prison.
“It has been a long, difficult period for him and his family, and I am glad we have reached a point where the process can take its course without him being in prison. It is a significant step forward and I welcome it.”
When asked if he would like to see Mr Johal returned to Scotland, Mr Swinney replied: “That would be preferable, but the Indian judicial system will determine its own rules. But it is really welcome news that he has been released from prison after such a long wait.”
Scottish Labour MP Douglas McAllister said he was “delighted” that his constituent had been released from prison, adding: “This is the news we've been waiting for. The fight continues to secure a swift resolution to his cases and return home to Dumbarton.”
Legal charity Reprieve, who represent Mr Johal in the UK, said his release marked a “really important moment.”
The charity's deputy executive director, Dan Dolan, said: “While tonight is the first night in almost nine years that Jagtar Singh Johal is not caged in a prison cell, he still has the threat of a death sentence hanging over him.
“Jagtar remains on trial in cases that could last for decades and end in capital punishment, centered on a baseless allegation that has been thrown out in court for lack of evidence. His bail conditions deny him any semblance of a normal life.
“The foreign secretary should seize the moment and find a way to bring this young British citizen home to his family in Scotland as soon as possible.”
Chris Esdaile, senior legal advisor with the humn rights organiation, Redress, said: “We are relieved to see Jagtar finally released after almost nine years of arbitrary detention. But the onerous bail conditions, which severely restrict his ‘freedom’ while deeply flawed proceedings continue, mean that the ordeal for Jagtar and his family is far from over.
“The prolonged uncertainty itself amounts to psychological torture, and the continued proceedings raise serious concerns about double jeopardy, the use of evidence obtained through torture, and the misuse of counter-terrorism laws against activists in India.”
Mr Johal was arrested in the Punjab region in 2017 just a few weeks after he got married. He was accused of travelling to Paris in 2013 and handing £3,000 to the Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF) who carried out a number of violent attacks in a bid to get a separate Sikh state.
It is claimed this money was used to buy weapons to kill religious and political figures in Punjab in 2016 and 2017.
The Indian authorities claimed Mr Johal is a member of this group and that “he actively participated and had complete knowledge of the conspiracy”. However, his supporters say he was targeted for blogging about alleged human rights abuses against the Sikh community in India and was coerced into signing a false confession.
Last year Mr Johal was acquitted in a case where he was accused of financially supporting the KLF terror group, but he remained in prison on federal charges in eight other cases.
His imprisonment was recognised by a UN panel as an arbitrary detention in 2022 and he has claimed to have been tortured. Indian authorities denied the torture claim.
In April, a group of ten UN legal experts called on India to release him immediately, highlighting the “profound miscarriage of justice” in his case, and warning that he was enduring “unlawful suffering” and a form of “psychological torture” as a result of the prolonged uncertainty.
In June, meanwhile, scores of MPs and two peers from across the political divide at Westminster wrote to foreign secretary Yvette Cooper, urging her to take “much stronger action” to secure the release of Mr Johal.
Comments
Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article.