44 h. ago British activist in solitary confinement in India despite acquittal, family say

Brother of Jagtar Singh Johal says he is ‘being mentally tortured’ through unwarranted detentionThe British Sikh activist Jagtar Singh Johal, detained for seven years in an Indian jail, has been placed into solitary confinement and under 24-hour surveillance despite being acquitted of all terrorism charges against him by a Punjab court on 4 March, his family have claimed. Johal is still facing the exact same charges in a parallel case in a clear example of double jeopardy, his brother Gurpreet said when giving testimony at Westminster to an all party committee on arbitrary detention. He said the Indian courts have not granted his brother bail, despite the prosecutor’s failure to produce any credible evidence or witnesses in the Punjab court.Gurpreet said UK consular staff met his brother in jail on Tuesday and were told he had been put into solitary confinement with a 24-hour guard, adding no explanation had been given. Gurpreet said: “I fear for his physical and mental welfare sinc...

Politics

45 h. ago Detained Scot Jagtar Singh Johal placed in solitary confinement in Indian jail

Gurpreet Singh Johal told MPs today how his brother's conditions had "deteriorated" .

Events

1 week ago 'Raging' Scots gangster Mark Richardson 'battles bid to overthrow him' behind bars

Richardson is said to be in solitary confinement as a rival targets associates on the outside.

Events

2 w. ago Serial killer Robert Maudsley 'buried alive' in glass cage below ground

Robert Maudsley, 71, has spent the past 46 years in solitary confinement at Wakefield Prison in West Yorkshire.

Events

3 w. ago German tourists’ ordeal reportedly ending as they are returned from US detention

Jessica Brösche to join Lucas Sielaff, who is reported to have returned to Germany on 6 MarchA German tourist detained by US immigration authorities is due to be deported back to Germany on Tuesday after spending more than six weeks in detention, including eight days in solitary confinement.Jessica Brösche, a 29-year-old tattoo artist from Berlin, will reportedly join Lucas Sielaff, 25, from Bad Brida in Saxony Anhalt, who is reported to have returned to Germany on 6 March, after being arrested at the Mexican border on 18 February before being detained for almost two weeks. Continue reading...

Economics

3 w. ago Why killer Hannibal the Cannibal locked in glass cell 23 hours a day for 46 years

Robert Maudsley, known as Hannibal the Cannibal, has spent 46 years in solitary confinement after being convicted of murdering four people – but still denies being a cannibal

Events

3 w. ago Serial killer on hunger strike: Murderer nicknamed 'Hannibal the Cannibal' refuses to eat after 'prison guards confiscated his PlayStation and TV'

Maudsley, 71, who has spent 46 years in solitary confinement, is refusing to eat until his belongings - including books, a music system, and his beloved gaming console - are returned to him.

Events

3 w. ago 'Hannibal the Cannibal' killer locked in glass box goes on hunger strike after luxury item removed

Robert Maudsley is locked underground in a glass box and has spent 46 years in solitary confinement.

Events

3 w. ago Virtual reality in solitary confinement isn’t a Black Mirror episode. It’s happening in California

Creative Acts works to get people out of prison with an unlikely tool reporting a 96% reduction in infractions from participantsOne Monday in July, Samantha Tovar, known as Royal, left her 6ft-by-11ft cell for the first time in three weeks. Correctional officers escorted her to the common area of the Central California Women’s Facility and chained her hands and feet to a metal table, on top of which sat a virtual reality headset. Two and a half years into a five-year prison sentence, Royal was about to see Thailand for the first time.When she first put on the headset, Royal immediately had an aerial view of a cove. Soon after, her view switched to a boat moving fairly fast with buildings on either side of the water. In the boat was a man with a backpack, and it was as if she were sitting beside him. With accompanying meditative music and narration, the four-minute scene took Royal across a crowded Thai market, through ancient ruins, on a tuk-tuk (a three-wheeled rickshaw) and into a...

Politics

3 w. ago ‘An ideal tool’: prisons are using virtual reality to help people in solitary confinement

Participants view scenes of daily life as well as travel adventures – then process the emotions they trigger through artOne Monday in July, Samantha Tovar, known as Royal, left her 6ft-by-11ft cell for the first time in three weeks. Correctional officers escorted her to the common area of the Central California Women’s Facility and chained her hands and feet to a metal table, on top of which sat a virtual reality headset. Two and a half years into a five-year prison sentence, Royal was about to see Thailand for the first time.When she first put on the headset, Royal immediately had an aerial view of a cove. Soon after, her view switched to a boat moving fairly fast with buildings on either side of the water. In the boat was a man with a backpack, and it was as if she were sitting beside him. With accompanying meditative music and narration, the four-minute scene took Royal across a crowded Thai market, through ancient ruins, on a tuk-tuk (a three-wheeled rickshaw) and into an elepha...

Events

3 w. ago Britain's most dangerous prisoner who lives in glass box goes on hunger strike over TV

Killer Robert Maudsley was dubbed 'Hannibal the Cannibal' and has been in solitary confinement for more than four decades is protesting after prison guards confiscated his Playstation and TV

Events

3 w. ago 'Hannibal the Cannibal' killer on hunger strike as grim prison luxury item removed

Serial killer Robert Maudsley - who has been in solitary confinement for more than four decades - is protesting after prison guards confiscated his Playstation and TV, his family say

Events

3 w. ago Former BNP activist trains children to ‘fight back’ against British state with explosive arrowheads

Exclusive: Former BNP activist Matt Single trained children to fire gas-powered air pistol pellets at a screen labelled ‘BBC’

Events

3 w. ago How Myanmar’s Rohingya refugees feel about Aung San Suu Kyi: ‘She was a rag doll who never had absolute power’

Rohingya Muslims tell of their changing view of Aung San Suu Kyi, seeing her as one of their own – a victim of the military – as she languishes in solitary confinement. Shweta Sharma reports from Cox’s Bazar camps in Bangladesh

Events

3 w. ago ‘Desperate’ son of jailed activist Jimmy Lai seeks meeting with Keir Starmer

Hong Kong journalist is 77, and worries about his health are mounting as his trial nears its endThe son of the jailed Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai has called for an urgent meeting with the UK prime minister, Keir Starmer, saying he was “desperate” as his father’s defence drew to a close in a high-profile trial.Sebastien Lai said a fresh diplomatic push was now needed to free the 77-year-old pro-democracy activist, who holds British citizenship and has been kept behind bars in Hong Kong since December 2020. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago ‘Desperate’ son of Hong Kong’s jailed Jimmy Lai seeks meeting with Keir Starmer

Worries mount for health of media mogul and pro-democracy activist, 77, as his trial nears endThe son of the jailed Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai has called for an urgent meeting with the UK prime minister, Keir Starmer, saying he was “desperate” as his father’s defence drew to a close in a high-profile trial.Sebastien Lai said a fresh diplomatic push was now needed to free the 77-year-old pro-democracy activist, who holds British citizenship and has been kept behind bars in Hong Kong since December 2020. Continue reading...

Events

4 w. ago Brother of Jagtar Singh Johal jailed in India demands UK government 'do more'

Gurpreet Singh Johal fears his brother's court proceedings could be a case of of "double jeopardy" after he was acquitted of all charges in India in one of nine cases against him.

Politics