Gurpreet Singh Johal is among a group of relatives, campaigners and MPs calling for Labour to change how the UK Government handles the cases of Britons unlawfully detained abroad, reports The Guardian here and here.
His brother, Reprieve client Jagtar Singh Johal, has been detained in India for seven years. David Lammy is the sixth foreign secretary Gurpreet has asked to seek Jagtar’s release – the previous six failed to do so.
The charges against Jagtar are based on a false confession following torture by electric shock and a threat by police to burn him alive.
“I was born and brought up here,” Gurpreet said. “I expected my country to look after me, and it’s not happened. So I’ve been campaigning for the last seven years, not just against the Indian government, but for the UK government to do a lot more.”
In opposition Lammy promised to appoint a special envoy to help secure their release but families fear diplomats are pushing back in case it affects trade deals with other countries. Former chair of the foreign affairs select committee Alicia Kearns told The Guardian she had never seen resistance like it:
“I have never come across an issue or part of the Foreign Office that is more belligerent or unwilling to be reformed. The Foreign Office is always defensive, but I have never seen a level of defensiveness as I have on this issue.”
Lammy later said he planned to appoint an envoy for detention cases of Britons abroad, reported The Guardian.