How Strongmen Turned Interpol Into Their Personal Weapon

It is interesting that the egregious behaviour of some undemocratic nation has been highlighted to show their abuse of this process. However the fact that countries like friendly countries like Dubai, Singapore and others routinely ignore red corner notices because it is politically expedient the missing part of this narrative. Case in example is the standing red corner noticed ignored by Singapore for the owner of Asia pulp & paper who routinely travels to Singapore to conduct business by landing at selatar airport. The perpetrators of 26/11 are all moving in and out of Dubai at will without demur. When the NYT writes about egregious practices it show make efforts and demonstrate more objective reporting without political bias. This report while important blatantly highlights only one side of the story.

This is little different from what happened at the EU. It is what is effectively happening in USA with the Open Borders/Sanctuary City-state crowd. None of this likely to end well or soon.

"...governments around the world, including the United States’, trying to figure out whether they are arresting a fugitive or employing their police for the whims of a despot." The curious thing is that you don't seem to notice that we in Canada are trying to figure out this the same thing about the whims of YOUR despot. Is Meng Wanzhou really a suspected fraudster, or is this just something Trump came up with for leverage in trade negotiations with China?

How did tyrants become "strongmen", and why is the NYT lending credibility to this euphemism? "Strongmen" sounds acceptable and to some even aspirational; exactly the kind of thing that we all need to repudiate in this time of growing tyranny.

The red notices from Interpol demonstrates what happens when your government can no longer distinguish right from wrong. Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and Rice pushed to turn Interpol into a despit’s dream tool. As we all know, a “crime” is a relative thing. It became even more convenient when Bush announced that everyone is a terrorist until proven otherwise. Alberto Gonzales, as AG, provided little check upon this process. And how could they? They were/are running black sites across the planet. There are bad people on the planet. For example, the Russians who very likely introduced nerve agents into Britain to kill dissidents are bad people. They need to be questioned and if provable, charged with a crime. Are red notices posted for these two individuals? Political critics of Saudi Arabia, Russia or Turkey are not bad people even if their governments have targeted them for murder. More needs to be done to improve Interpol.

Too often “ international organizations” and “international law” are seen as some kind of invariably liberalizing force when they are really just another way of governments increasing their power over individuals and their ability to crush dissension.

Shocked, shocked that ceding the police power to foreign governments acting without accountability to our democratic institutions (such as they are) turns out to be a bad idea. Next they'll say we shouldn't let UN votes determine where to drop our bombs!

Another point Browder made on a recent Lawfare podcast is that Interpol shares information about an indictment. As a result, when anyone in Putin's gang are indicted, they are able to get hold of the case file. They can potentially use that information to pressure witnesses, destroy paperwork, and generally try to undermine the case. Browder, who says he has been arrested seven times, says there are no consequences for bad actors - no fines, no timeouts, no warnings. Wouldn't it be better to at least flag countries abusing Interpol, and investigate their alerts before making arrests?

What a laugh. Interpol was founded as a right-wing political police on the eve of WWI to hunt anti-war activists, anarchists and socialists. The "crime fighting" was simply a cover. For most of its existence it was used to hunt communists, political activists, labor leaders. That's why the Nazis were given leadership and control of Interpol in the 1930s to hunt anti-fascists in cooperation with the UK, USA, etc. After WWII it was rebuilt for Cold War purposes to again hunt down political activists, revolutionaries, anti-colonial independence fighters in Africa, Asia and the Middle East, and their sympathizers in Europe. The NYT loved Interpol then. Now, as US rivals and problem children use Interpol for their own bloody purposes there is "concern." Interpol will always be the repressive arm used against those who oppose the status quo. It should be banned.

Henry Kissinger, George Bush, the Saudis, and their coterie of war criminals and slimy assistants seem quite at ease.So much for Interpol.

During the 1930s and 40s, Interpol acted as an adjunct of the Gestapo.

Ironically, when Interpol does something "correct", as was the case in Argentina, the actual president of Argentina, Mr. Macri and a great portion of a tragically corrupt judicial system ignore til today Mr. Ronald Noble's statements regarding the use of red alerts for mere political reasons!

Maybe a joint police force with our enemies isn’t the greatest of ideas.

Everything is exploited by men in power. Humans are too un-evolved to care and would rather believe lies than truth.

Great article, though it is restricted to the authoritarian abuse of Interpol's red notices. What about the other databases of Interpol, though? Surely, in addition to red notices for extradition (which currently total over 6,000 individuals it says on their website), Interpol must manage much larger databases for people who have have not officially been charged with any crimes and can move across borders, yet who are nonetheless subject to police surveillance. It would be interesting to find out, for example, if these Interpol databases also track non-violent citizen activists from Western democracies and not just autocracies. Every once in a while, one hears of people who have not been charged with any crimes ending up on local secret police lists in Western democracies. One imagines they would then also end up in the large databases of Interpol. Needless to say, the same might hold for authoritarian regimes.

That Interpol blindly agrees to have people red listed with no vetting is astounding. That the Bush administration offered no help is not surprising as he was busy starting wars with the wrong countries. Is MSB on the red list for murder? I didn’t think so.

Trump, now Interpol. Planet Earth has become a criminal enterprise. After Climate Change wipes out most of our species, perhaps the next organism will have greater intelligence and learn to live in peace with one another.

How different is this from the U S Gov asking Canada to arrest the exec from China in Vancouver.Because the U S wants to control 5 G and their claims of espionage are being questioned by Governments globally. Its only different because Canada has suffered the consequences of their action to support the U S while the US has no impact.In the Interpol example the strongmen have no impact yet and likely never.

One more casualty of the Bush administrations ham handed inept “war on terror” strategy. The number of ambitious individuals and organizations that saw 9/11 as an opportunity for advancement and opportunity is staggering, so was / is their lack of accountability and competence. From Rudy Giuliani turning the fall of twin towers in New York into a personal money making scheme of public appearances, lectures and endorsements to the numerous individuals with government connections like Ronald K. Noble who transformed institutions like Interpol into from their original purpose to proxies on our misguided “war on terrorism” or if you like “the forever war”. So now terrorism continues to morph and grow despite our war on it and Interpol acts to aid the governments of authoritarian regimes like Russia and Saudi Arabia as they target critics and opposition abroad. Beware “ambitious” individuals who promote the war on things trope the collateral damage around them is considerable.

Mr. Browder arrested? Never gonna happen. He has friends in DC.

The article says, "Years of cases like this had provoked accusations that the world’s largest international police organization had become a tool of repressive governments." Interesting. Coincides with the Koch brothers and their International Mafia 0.01% Robber Baron/Radical religion Good Old Boys cabal 40+ year hostile financial takeover of OUR United States of America and the culmination - The Con Don lurking around OUR white house, destroying OUR government and international alliances. This MUST NOT and will not STAND as long as WE THE PEOPLE - average people and people with power in OUR political/legal/military and secret service complexes - take action right now to stop it. The Con Don brags that he has OUR police and military - and bikers for Trump - on HIS side. When did this become about "sides"? He and his destructive brethren are a tiny minority of people in the world and if the rest of us - each of us - take one step to stop them it will end. Before they can start WW3. Let's Do It! NOW!!

Kind of like using political op research as evidence for obtaining a FISA warrant to spy on a US citizen as a way to disrupt a campaign? Like that, do you mean? Huh......

Put people in power, and it corrupts them; with a vengeance. Go figure.

"...urgent warnings from inside the organization that it was vulnerable to political meddling. Time and again, Interpol prioritized international expansion over safeguards." Not unlike the UN, these international organizations that admit member states which have a demonstrated history of little to no regard for legal protections and basic rights (even in the face of supposed constitutions to the contrary), and no independent judiciary that is not the arm of the "strongman" leadership, cannot expect them to act differently in these situations. It's like when the UN allows countries like Iran or North Korea to sit on or even head things like the Human Rights Commission - it turns into a mockery of the organization's goals and purpose. Functioning like a lot of other bureaucracies, here and abroad (glad the NYT busted the Hollywood myth of what they actually are), it seeks today to expand and protect itself more than fulfilling its original mission. In order for y the US and other nations to continue to participate additional reforms are urgently needed. A primary reform should be that in order to be a member state they must at least have a far better judicial and rights system. (And, on, Trump notwithstanding, we are not on a par with Turkey or Russia.)

Alliances are far better at judicial coordination than Interpol. In fact, not having Interpol would likely encourage and strengthen alliances which are the pillars of stability across the world. It's an organization best minimized and restricted in scope to fighting terrorism and apprehending only the very worst criminals. The UN is a great institution of peace and dialogue but this particular branch of it does far more harm than good since nations cannot universally agree on who in fact is truly a criminal.

Another example of both the unintended consequences of embracing “Internet speed” and the failure to recognize the scourge of rising authoritarianism.

In what universe does Mike Pompeo and Marco Rubio demonstrate that they respect the rule of law. What I have seen from these two politicians is that they respect the rule of law when doing so advances their interest or the interest of their party. Given our domestic situation why should anyone in the world think that the current US President would act much differently than the leaders in Russia, Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia or any other of Trump's strongman best friends when it comes to using Interpol to advance a political agenda.

“including the United States’, trying to figure out whether they are arresting a fugitive or employing their police for the whims of a despot.” With the cabal in the White House acceding to the whims of a despot is what they live for, starting at the top. Truly shameful.

Interpol is one thing - then there's always the illegal "extraordinary renditions" (kidnappings) carried out by the US, after 9/11, in foreign countries.

Read Bill Browder's Red Notice a true story and you will learn a lot about Russia's strong men and Interpol.

Wow. Eye-opening article. I actually did think Interpol was that global version of Scotland Yard. Just a digital bulletin board. For years. And of course my first thought - is this how some nations track women wanting basic freedoms? Outsourcing their searches for missing ‘property’. My second thought- Turkey with all those ‘stolen passport’ numbers. All those mass show trials explained. So many multilateral institutions, created in a different world, with hopes of, what? We are supposedly shifting our military efforts away from terrorism and towards China, Russia, et al. I have news for Barney; sharing is not caring. And reforms can’t cure what’s wrong with Interpol. Sharing, now, is nuts.

In case no one is paying attention, let me point out that "strongmen" have, worldwide, taken over vast hunks of "intelligence". The World has lost control of the beast.

This pretty much proves that authoritarianism is a world wide threat to freedom and democracy. Totally disgusted by Interpol spending member state's money to repress free speech world wide. How about interpol needs to receive evidence of crime before it hunts down dissenting voices for murderous tyrannts. They have behaved like a corporation. Anything for expansion of the market share.

The problem with Red Notices reveals a fundamental flaw in the INTERPOL system: the notices necessarily rely on local government’s criminal justice system. And when member states include autocratic governments, the potential for abuse is limitless. Governments will issue fraudulent court judgments, often in absentia and without any due process whatsoever, against dissidents. On the basis of these sham judgments, these governments then obtain Red Notices, which they use to locate and extradite dissidents who have otherwise escaped, or at the very least, block them from further international travel. It is impossible to have a systematic and substantive review of such notices (an effective review system would amount to an international appellate court, which INTERPOL does not have the resources for); thus, there will always be cases that fall through the cracks. The only tenable solution would be to kick out autocratic governments and make them reapply for membership by proving that their judicial branches are not susceptible to corrupt government influence. This would greatly reduce the effectiveness of INTERPOL to catch international criminals, but, to paraphrase Blackstone, it would be better to let 10 criminals go than to incarcerate one dissident. Stated differently, it is anathema to INTERPOL’s core law enforcement mission that its system could be used to further criminal government aims.

The UN is broken, and we broke it. The world needs a new United Nations, now that George W. Bush has turned it into a weak debating society by the "Shock and Awe" war crime of invading Iraq. It needs to be located out of the US, perhaps in Geneva, and needs to hold sacred several principles high for all member states, and the first is that there is no such thing as a Security Council and no such thing as Veto Power. The next is that no nation gets a full vote if they are a nuclear power, those weapons have to go. The third is that there is a new world court, with laws that outlaw invasions and wars and mandating that all conflicts be brought before that court. And yes, there needs to be independent criminal investigation. Won't happen in our lifetimes, of course, as just as the 1% rich run our lives in the US, the powerful will never give up power Internationally. But after the coming nuclear war...maybe the survivors will make it so. Hugh Massengill, Eugene Oregon

Interpol....and don't forget FIFA.

In the article the author should have noted to the reader that in the U.S. Extradition from the United States: "Generally under United States law (18 U.S.C. § 3184), extradition may be granted only pursuant to a treaty.[6] Some countries grant extradition without a treaty, but every such country requires an offer of reciprocity when extradition is accorded in the absence of a treaty.[6] Further, the 1996 amendments to 18 U.S.C. 3181 and 3184 permit the United States to extradite, without regard to the existence of a treaty, persons (other than citizens, nationals or permanent residents of the United States) who have committed crimes of violence against nationals of the United States in foreign countries.[6]" wikipedia

The US is the undisputed world leader in incarcerating its own citizens. While police killings are harder to track (for example, in the US, the government doesn’t even bother to track all of them), it seems that the US is also a world leader in this as well. So forgive me for not being comforted that the US Justice Department dispatched a lawyer to help clean up Interpol. Police (whether domestically or in the international sphere) need to have real, independent, effective oversight. When they don’t, human rights easily fall in favor of police expediency. Am I glad that Russia doesn’t have control of Interpol? Sure. Am I comforted by the American influence? Not particularly.... maybe Mr. Stock of Germany will have a more positive influence. But a cop is still a cop. Independent oversight is essential, and if it’s not possible, take Interpol apart. We survived without an activist Interpol for along time.

So the red notices basically rebranded part of the organisation as Outerlice?

Once again we see the hand of Putin and other totalitarian leaders. Why invade with tanks and artillery when powerful international organizations can be co-opted and controlled to serve your nefarious purposes? Whether it is shaping public opinion through social media, co-opting international organizations, influencing business people by using Deutsch Bank as a conduit for cash, flooding the world with fake news, or violating patent laws, Russia, China and other totalitarian governments are warring on us in a way that we have trouble even noticing much less responding to effectively. Brooking and Singer spelled much of this out in their book "Like War: The Weaponization of Social Media." We got trouble -- and a President who has no interest in addressing it because he was put in the White House by Putin. Tom Clancy couldn't make this up.

Do we have enough evidence yet to reject the Silicon Valley mentality of expand first and worry about security and privacy much later? Just because companies and governments can gather all this “cool” information, fingerprints, DNA, etc doesn’t mean they should do it without safeguards. Why anyone would volunteer to share their information via Facebook, 23 and me, etc is beyond my comprehension.