Christian Michel urges U.K. to impose sanctions against India

Christian Michel, an alleged middleman in the ₹3,600-crore VVIP chopper scandal, has written to U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson threatening to go on a hunger strike if he does not apply the Magnitsky Act (sanctions for human rights violations) against those individuals or entities allegedly involved in the attack on the U.S.-registered yacht Nostromo, and the “abduction” of UAE Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s daughter, Princess Latifa.

In his letter written from Tihar Jail on October 5, where he is presently lodged, Mr. Michel has told Mr. Johnson that he will go on a hunger strike on November 25 till his Government accepted his demands. However, sources close to Mr. Michel have said officials of the British High Commission have spoken to him on the phone following which he has decided to call off the strike.

Mr. Michel, in his letter, has asked for sanctions against India for the attack on Nostromo yacht and called it a “scandal”. “The individuals and entities involved in the attack on the Nostromo are well known, some even named by the U.K. court … there is a scandal within a scandal … what happened to Latifa, the Nostromo passengers and crew is a scandal. However, the U.K. Government is taking no action, when the U.K. has sanctioned Russians, Chinese and Saudi individuals is inexplicable,” the letter stated.

‘The only option’

Mr. Michel has further said that after frequent court hearings, where his bail has been dismissed, he only has the option of going on a hunger strike if the Government does not act on the promise made to the British people to “apply to Indians or those in countries that are allies or friends” sanctions for human rights abuses.

According to reports in British media, Mr. Michel’s extradition to India from the UAE was agreed to after India had assisted and mobilised the Coast Guard to board the Nostromo yacht to help repatriate Princess Latifa after she had escaped the UAE. While a U.K. coùrt found evidence that Indian commandos had forcibly sent Ms. Latifa back, as she herself alleged, Government sources have denied the reports of a “quid pro quo”.

A spokesperson for the British High Commission said: “Our staff continue to support Christian Michel, who has been detained in Delhi since 2018, and regularly raise his case with the Indian authorities.”

In March 2021, the Human Rights Council had also adopted findings of its Working Group on Arbitrary Detentions that accused India and also the UAE for violating human rights conventions during Mr. Michel’s extradition and incarceration without bail.

When contacted, officials in the Ministry of External Affairs could not independently verify the veracity of the letter.