Scottish Sikh activist Jagtar Singh Johal has been released from prison in India after spending nearly nine years in detention without conviction. He walked out of Tihar jail on Thursday.

Johal, 39, from Dumbarton in Scotland, was arrested in Punjab in 2017, two weeks after his wedding. Indian authorities accused him of involvement in targeted killings and of funding a banned organisation. He has denied all charges.

The Delhi High Court granted him bail on September 18 in seven cases. The court observed that the trial was “certainly not likely to conclude anytime soon”. He was acquitted last year in one case involving alleged terrorist funding.

Under his bail conditions, Johal has surrendered his passport and is barred from speaking to the media about the case. He must remain in India and face trial in the remaining cases, in which he could face the death penalty.

His brother Gurpreet called it a “really important milestone”. The United Nations has previously described his detention as arbitrary.