Fair Trials International, 27 November 2013

Fair Trials International — Fair Trials International has published a major report (Strengthening respect for human rights; strengthening INTERPOL) showing how countries across the world are abusing INTERPOL to persecute refugees, journalists and peaceful political activists

Despite INTERPOL’s commitment to neutrality and human rights, the report shows how INTERPOL’s review mechanisms are not vigorous enough to prevent this abuse, with severe implications for the people concerned: damage to reputation, loss of work, inability to travel and even arrest and extradition.

Featuring the stories of individuals who have been arrested at gunpoint or detained in high-security prisons, including within the EU, our report shows how politically-motivated wanted person alerts are being disseminated to police forces in over 190 countries.

We are calling for simple reforms to INTERPOL to ensure that its essential crime-fighting systems are not open to this abuse and that tru

st in its work is not weakened. The report contains a number of recommendations designed to help INTERPOL prevent such cases in the future and give the people subject to these abuses the chance to challenge them with fairness and due process.

Read the report here.