12 h. ago Jagtar Singh Johal: Nearly 120 MPs and peers call on UK government to secure release of detained Scot

Foreign secretary urged to act ‘quickly’ and ‘decisively’

Politics

12 h. ago ‘Moment of truth’ for Lammy on Scot detained in India, says brother

The Foreign Secretary will meet with Jagtar Singh Johal’s family next week as more than 100 parliamentarians signed a letter calling for urgency.

Politics

4 w. ago Israel has chosen military occupation over a ceasefire in Gaza. Where does this end? | Sanam Vakil

The latest escalation and attempts to dismantle the Palestinian leadership are utterly at odds with peace negotiationsSanam Vakil is a senior research fellow in the Middle East and North Africa programme at Chatham HouseAgainst the pleas and protests of hostage families desperate to secure the release of their loved ones, the Israeli government is moving ahead with the military occupation of the Gaza Strip. On 2 April, the defence minister, Israel Katz, announced plans to seize large areas of Gaza with the aim of eliminating Hamas’s remaining infrastructure and establishing new security zones that will split Gaza in two. This escalation, which began in mid-March with intensified airstrikes, is intended to encourage a mass exodus of the local population, and has led to substantial civilian casualties. Despite the international outcry over more than 50,000 deaths, 110,000 civilian injuries and significant displacement of Palestinians, the Israeli government rationalises and justifies ...

Events

4 w. 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

4 w. ago Family of Jagtar Singh Johal calls on UK Government for 'more urgency' to secure his release

The family of Jagtar Singh Johal, from Dumbarton, are calling for more urgency from the UK government in seeking his release seven years after he was arbitrarily detained in India.

Politics

4 w. 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

4 w. ago Government not acting ‘urgently’ on Briton detained in India, say family

Jagtar Singh Johal, from Dumbarton, near Glasgow, was detained in Punjab in 2017.

Politics