Interpol misused by Sri Lanka to punish opponents - ICIJ
July 18, 2011 11:29 am
Interpol supposed to chase criminals across borders is being used by some countries including Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Iran, Russia and Venezuela to punish political dissenters and opponents, a new investigation done by a Washington-based journalists’ consortium claims.
“What our investigation found is that Interpol’s Red Notice system is being abused by regimes like Iran and Venezuela, which use it to round up political opponents,” said Marina Walker Guevara, deputy director at the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ).
It claimed that Sri Lanka used Interpol to go after the owner of a website that publishes articles critical of the government. China used Interpol to target Uighur political leader Dolkun Isa, whom Germany had designated as a political refugee.
The investigation which includes case studies from a number of countries also shows how the international police agency remains unaccountable to any deep scrutiny. ICIJ found “Interpol’s operations for dealing with political cases lack transparency, and there is no system for outside oversight or accountability.”
Interpol, it says, helps police hunt down murderers, war criminals, child sex offenders and wildlife poachers across borders. “But the global law enforcement organisation is also being used to pursue political opponents of regimes in countries like Iran and Venezuela,” it claims.
Venezuela issued so many Red Notices against political opponents of President Hugo Chavez that Interpol has recently blocked two dozen of them. ICIJ learned Interpol now vets Venezuela’s requests more carefully, reports The Asian Age.
“What our investigation found is that Interpol’s Red Notice system is being abused by regimes like Iran and Venezuela, which use it to round up political opponents,” said Marina Walker Guevara, deputy director at the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ).
It claimed that Sri Lanka used Interpol to go after the owner of a website that publishes articles critical of the government. China used Interpol to target Uighur political leader Dolkun Isa, whom Germany had designated as a political refugee.
The investigation which includes case studies from a number of countries also shows how the international police agency remains unaccountable to any deep scrutiny. ICIJ found “Interpol’s operations for dealing with political cases lack transparency, and there is no system for outside oversight or accountability.”
Interpol, it says, helps police hunt down murderers, war criminals, child sex offenders and wildlife poachers across borders. “But the global law enforcement organisation is also being used to pursue political opponents of regimes in countries like Iran and Venezuela,” it claims.
Venezuela issued so many Red Notices against political opponents of President Hugo Chavez that Interpol has recently blocked two dozen of them. ICIJ learned Interpol now vets Venezuela’s requests more carefully, reports The Asian Age.
