The UN experts have sent a new communication about the case to the Indian authorities and said they will monitor developments.
The 10 experts are UN Special Rapporteurs – independent human rights specialists appointed by the UN Human Rights Council – and four four members of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention.
Johal’s brother Gurpreet Singh Johal this week reiterated his calls for the UK government to take action to secure his sibling’s release.
He said: “This is the strongest intervention yet from the UN. It is clear as day to legal experts that my brother should not be in prison and that keeping him there for eight years without any evidence is a terrible injustice.”
Gupreet Singh Johal met Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper in December.
Johal is represented in the UK by the legal charities Redress and Reprieve, which have also called for action from the UK government.
Rupert Skilbeck, director of Redress, said: “The UK government should be doing more to end this injustice against a British citizen.”
Reprieve deputy chief executive Dan Dolan said: “This important intervention should be a wake-up call for the UK government, which is not doing nearly enough to help this young British man.”
A spokesperson for the UK Foreign Office said: “We continue to raise concerns about Mr Johal’s prolonged detention at every appropriate opportunity with the government of India, and we have made clear that faster progress is needed to reach a resolution, including a full investigation into Mr Johal’s allegations of torture.”
