Posted in:
Once again, the accusations against Emirati Major General Ahmed Nasser Al Raisi, Director of Interpol (International Police), of committing violations against human rights returned to the fore, with the French Public Prosecutor’s Office of Counter-Terrorism opening a preliminary investigation against him on charges of “torture” and “barbaric acts”. Al-Raisi’s nomination to head the International Organization of Interpol had sparked widespread criticism due to suspicions of human rights violations that hovered around him, which put the reputation of the international police on the line.
About six months after Elected as Director of the International Police Organization (Interpol)The human rights record tainted with suspicions of human rights violations is still being pursued Emirati Major General Ahmed Nasser Al Raisi. On Thursday, French judicial sources announced that the Public Prosecution Office for Combating Terrorism had opened a preliminary investigation against Al-Raisi on charges of “torture” and “barbaric acts”.
The opening of the investigation comes in the wake of a complaint, including accusations of violations against human rights, submitted by non-governmental organizations to the Public Prosecution of Counter-Terrorism in France, accusing Al-Raisi of torturing opposition figures while he held a high position in the UAE Ministry of Interior.
Non-governmental human rights organizations had accused Al-Raisi of “torture” after his candidacy for the post of Interpol president, expressing their fear that some countries would exploit the organization. The International Criminal Police Organization “INTERPOL” is a body whose mission is to combat crimes at the state level, and its Secretary General is responsible for conducting its work; The position of the president remains honorary.
According to Interpol, “the Secretary-General is responsible for day-to-day affairs”, while the “President holds an unpaid and part-time position” and his central task is to chair the General Assembly and three sessions of the Executive Committee per year.
The organization explained that its president “carries full-time official duties in his country and is not a permanent resident in the French city of Lyon (the organization’s headquarters – the editorial family).” It also stressed that its members “including the president, benefit from privileges and immunities in the exercise of their functions and the achievement of their tasks in the organization, But not for their personal affairs.
Is UAE Interpol President Ahmed Nasser Al Raisi at risk of being suspended?
accusations of torture
It is noteworthy that Al-Raisi has a long career in the police force that spanned more than 40 years, in addition to an impressive academic career – he received a PhD from London Metropolitan University, an MBA from Coventry University, a Diploma in Administrative Management from the University of Cambridge, and a BA in Media from the University of Otterbein, Ohio, USA.
In particular, Al-Raisi is accused – as responsible for the UAE Prisons Authority – of committing “torture” and “barbaric acts” against the Emirati poet and blogger Ahmed Mansoor, who was sentenced in 2018 to ten years in prison for “harming the reputation of the state.”
He was also accused of being responsible for arresting Matthew Hedges in 2018, a British researcher who came to Dubai as part of a study visit, and the UAE authorities suspected him of engaging in espionage activities. Following a life sentence, Matthew Hedges was released less than a year later due to widespread pressure from London, which threatened to sever diplomatic relations with Abu Dhabi.
It is reported that the non-governmental organization “Gulf Center for Human Rights” classifies the UAE prison administration as “among the most arbitrary in the world”.
Emirati donation of 50 million euros
Former British Attorney General David Calvert-Smith considers the election of Al-Raisi as head of the organization in November as bad news for everyone who praised the independence of the international organization, especially since Interpol received a record 50 million euros in UAE donation in 2017.
A previous investigation by the British Guardian newspaper revealed that China, Russia and the UAE are also among the countries that use red notices for political purposes, as the number of red notices sent by Interpol’s local offices has increased dramatically in recent years, as the number jumped from 1,400 notices annually in the early twenty-first century to 13,000 bulletins in 2019. This makes it difficult for the International Police to monitor all abuses.
In this way, the UAE used the services of Interpol to pursue people simply because they were accused of owing money to Emirati banks. The Guardian investigation also points to accusations that Abu Dhabi has used the “red notices” system, which Interpol issues to prosecute suspects, to persecute political opponents.
Here, David Calvert-Smith believes that this method represents the use of “effective weapons originally intended to pursue major criminals in settling civil disputes.”
Pursuit of political opponents
For its part, China has doubled down on its use of red notices to crack down on Uyghur activists exiled outside the country. The Guardian confirms that those targeted by red notices cannot move from one country to another without being pursued by fears of arrest and deportation to China.
Since 2019, INTERPOL Secretary General Jürgen Stock has admitted that there is a problem with the unjust use of these documents, but he assured the Guardian that this “includes only 5% of cases.” This is what makes hundreds of people live and this sword is hanging over their neck for political rather than judicial reasons.
This is not the first time that the personality of the Interpol head has sparked widespread controversy, as two former heads of the International Police Organization, the Chinese Meng Hongwei in 2018 and the South African Jackie Celebi in 2008, faced corruption charges and were imprisoned in their countries.
In 2015, Interpol was also forced to end a financial partnership with FIFA, after FIFA faced accusations of widespread financial corruption. “We can’t ask Interpol to know everything about its partners but for an organization tasked with prosecuting corruption, I think they haven’t done enough to investigate this case,” says David Calvert-Smith.
France 24