INTERPOL: The nomination of an Emirati official raises the alarm about human rights

Human Rights Watch and the Gulf Center for Human Rights considered today, Thursday, that the nomination of an official at the UAE Ministry of Interior for the position of President of INTERPOL is a threat to the human rights obligations of the International Police Organization.

The Executive Director of the Gulf Center for Human Rights, Khaled Ibrahim, said, “The selection of Major General Al Raisi as head of INTERPOL would show that the member states of the organization do not have any concern whatsoever about the UAE’s record in persecuting peaceful critics. His nomination is another attempt by the UAE to buy international respect and polish its record. Miserable human rights defender. ” Read also Putting foreigners and investors in light of the new human rights action plan announced by Erdogan Egyptian human rights organizations announce 7 necessary measures to stop the deterioration of human rights The International Criminal Court calls on Egypt to hand over fugitives accused of war crimes in Libya Interpol announces the arrest of 195 persons involved in human trafficking and migrant smuggling

Major General Ahmed Nasser Al Raisi holds a high position in the UAE Ministry of Interior, as he has been the Inspector General since April 2015, making him responsible – among other things – for investigating complaints against the police and security forces of the UAE state security services that have a long record of multiple violations. .

The election of the INTERPOL President and the Executive Committee – which was originally set in December 2020 during the INTERPOL General Assembly and postponed due to restrictions related to “Coronavirus” – is scheduled to take place at an unspecified time this year.

The absence of control

According to Human Rights Watch, the electoral process is described as a lack of oversight and transparency, and Interpol does not provide any public information about candidates for the presidency, or any procedures for vetting candidates by INTERPOL member states.

In an interview conducted in November 2020 by “999 Magazine” – issued by the UAE Ministry of Interior – Al-Raisi confirmed his candidacy, saying, “My victory at INTERPOL presidency will be an achievement for the Arabs.”

A concern message

Before Al-Raisi announced his candidacy, Human Rights Watch and the Gulf Center for Human Rights, as well as more than a dozen other international human rights and civil society organizations, in October 2020 sent a letter to INTERPOL Secretary General Jürgen Stock, expressing concern about the possible election of the president to the presidency of INTERPOL.

As Inspector General of the Ministry of Interior, Al-Raisi is responsible for managing the UAE security forces and police and investigating complaints against them, and he is directly responsible to Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Al-Raisi is a member of the INTERPOL Executive Committee, which is the governing body that oversees the implementation of General Assembly decisions and the work of the General Secretariat.

Since 2011, when the UAE authorities began their decade-long assault on freedom of expression and association, Human Rights Watch and the Gulf Center for Human Rights have documented numerous allegations of serious violations by state security forces, particularly against peaceful critics of government policies, including enforced disappearances and torture.

Last January, Human Rights Watch and the Gulf Center for Human Rights detailed the government’s persecution of prominent Emirati human rights defender Ahmed Mansoor, including indefinite incommunicado detention, and the appalling conditions of detention since his arrest in March 2017.

According to the organization, there is no indication that the UAE authorities have investigated credible allegations of torture and ill-treatment by security forces in any of the many cases documented by Human Rights Watch.

Under the Constitution of INTERPOL, the General Assembly elects the President of INTERPOL from among the 9 delegates from the countries that make up the INTERPOL Executive Committee, along with the President and 3 of his deputies.