Emirati general accused of torture appointed head of Interpol

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Emirati general accused of torture appointed head of Interpol
Issued on: 25/11/2021 - 08:49
France 24

An Emirati general accused of torture was elected president of Interpol Thursday, the global police agency said, despite the concerns of human rights organisations and members of the European Parliament.

"Mr Ahmed Nasser AL RAISI of the United Arab Emirates has been elected to the post of President (4-yr term)," Interpol said on Twitter.

General Al-Raisi, head of the United Arab Emirates' security forces, will take on a largely ceremonial and voluntary role.

It is Interpol Secretary General Juergen Stock who handles day-to-day management of the organisation. Stock was given a second five-year term in 2019.  ...

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Ahmed Nasser Al-Raisi, Emirati general accused of torture, up for Interpol top role
Al-Raisi, head of the United Arab Emirates' security forces, has been seeking election to the largely ceremonial and voluntary role since last year
Agence France-Presse
November 25, 2021 19:24:46 IST

Interpol may on Thursday find itself with a new president, an Emirati general accused of torture, adding to concerns the global police agency risks being co-opted by repressive regimes. General Ahmed Nasser Al-Raisi, head of the United Arab Emirates' security forces, has been seeking election to the largely ceremonial and voluntary role since last year.

That follows years of generous funding for the Lyon, France-based body by the Emirati regime and accusations that Interpol's system of so-called "red notices" for wanted suspects has been abused to persecute political dissidents. ...

While the position of president is symbolic, endorsement of the general by the group's 195 members "would send a signal to other authoritarian governments" that using Interpol to pursue critics abroad "is okay", said Edward Lemon, an assistant professor specialising in transnational repression at Texas A&M University.  ...

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