Publish the number: how many times did UK Ministers say yes to a tip off that could lead to torture?

Will you write to the Investigatory Powers Commissioner, Sir Brian Leveson and ask him to publish the number today?

FACT: UK Ministers were asked 20 times in a single year to authorise tip offs carrying a real risk of torture, mistreatment or unlawful killing. These shocking figures emerged in a recent report from the Investigatory Powers Commissioner’s Office (IPCO).

But we do not know how many times a Minister said yes. A single yes could have made the UK complicit in someone’s torture, mistreatment, or death.

Intelligence sharing should never put people at real risk of torture or cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment (CIDT). It's immoral and it’s illegal. Our client, British national Jagtar Singh Johal, may be the victim of one of these tip offs back in 2017.

The IPCO must publish how many times a UK Minister said yes to sharing information with another government despite a real risk of torture or mistreatment. We need to know the scale of this Government’s torture tip off problem and help stop others suffering like Jagtar.

Sir

Brian

Leveson

Investigatory Powers Commissioner's Office

Dear Rt Hon Sir Brian Leveson,

I write to you concerned that the UK Government could be authorising intelligence sharing where there is a real risk of torture, mistreatment, and unlawful killing.

In the Investigatory Powers Commissioner’s Office 2021 annual report, published March 2023, you detailed that UK Ministers had been asked to authorise tip offs where there was a real risk of torture, mistreatment and unlawful killing 20 times, but your report crucially failed to include how the Ministers responded to these requests.

I believe that it is vital to our democracy here in the UK that we have access to such information, and I therefore request that you publish it.

It is extremely concerning that such authorisations, which are illegal under UK and international law, could be taking place here in the UK, and ending or ruining lives without any public scrutiny.

I ask you to look no further than the case of Jagtar Singh Johal, who may be the victim of one of these tip offs. He has been tortured and detained indefinitely in India since 2017.

His brother, Gurpreet Singh Johal, recently said: “I urge the government to take a clear stand on torture and ensure no other family is put through this living hell.”

And so, I hope that you will help shine a light on the extent of this government’s torture tip off problem by publishing these numbers. If the Government is approving torture tip offs which break UK and international law, the public deserves to know, and political decision makers should learn the truth so they can ban these tip offs once and for all.

Yours sincerely,

{user_data~First name},
{user_data~City},
{user_data~Country}

We'll only add your first name, city and country so the commission knows where you're emailing from.

Add your details

First name

Last name

Email Address

Town or city

Country

Your support could help save someone's life.
Sometimes, we find out a person is facing imminent execution and we have just 24 hours to take action to save them. So can we email you about Reprieve campaigns, appeals, news hits and urgent alerts when you can take action to help save someone's life?

Yes

No

Are you sure? The more people who support our campaigns, the more power we have to work with decision makers to end the death penalty and resentence people already sentenced to death.Choose 'Yes' to get emails - you can unsubscribe at any time.