Help promote human rights in the Middle East and North Africa

Donate Today
Facebook-f Twitter Instagram Linkedin Youtube Envelope
Search
Close
  • English
  • العربية
  • About
    • Our Mission
    • What We Do
    • Who We Are
    • FAQs
    • Support Dawn
    • Work With Us
    • For the Media
  • Founder Jamal Khashoggi
    • Who Was Jamal Khashoggi?
    • Chronology of a Murder
    • UN Recommendations
    • International Reaction
    • In His Own Words
    • DAWN and Jamal
  • Countries
    • Saudi Arabia
    • Egypt
    • UAE
    • Israel-Palestine
    • DAWN's Culprits Gallery
  • Democracy In Exile
    • About
    • Submission Guidelines for Democracy in Exile
  • Advocacy
    • DAWN's Advocacy
    • The Lobbyist Hall of Shame
    • DAWN's Culprits Gallery
    • Reforming Foreign Policy
      • Aid Conditionality
      • Human Rights Go to War
    • US Foreign Policy in MENA
    • Joint Advocacy
  • Experts
  • Latest
Menu
  • About
    • Our Mission
    • What We Do
    • Who We Are
    • FAQs
    • Support Dawn
    • Work With Us
    • For the Media
  • Founder Jamal Khashoggi
    • Who Was Jamal Khashoggi?
    • Chronology of a Murder
    • UN Recommendations
    • International Reaction
    • In His Own Words
    • DAWN and Jamal
  • Countries
    • Saudi Arabia
    • Egypt
    • UAE
    • Israel-Palestine
    • DAWN's Culprits Gallery
  • Democracy In Exile
    • About
    • Submission Guidelines for Democracy in Exile
  • Advocacy
    • DAWN's Advocacy
    • The Lobbyist Hall of Shame
    • DAWN's Culprits Gallery
    • Reforming Foreign Policy
      • Aid Conditionality
      • Human Rights Go to War
    • US Foreign Policy in MENA
    • Joint Advocacy
  • Experts
  • Latest
Donate

DAWN Joins International Coalition Opposing Candidacy of UAE Security Official for INTERPOL President.

October 29, 2020
in Dawn’s Advocacy, Feature, International Actors, UAE
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
Together with 18 partner organizations, Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN), wrote to the Secretary General of INTERPOL, expressing opposition opposing the candidacy of Major General Ahmed Nasser Al Raisi, the General Inspector of the UAE's Ministry of Interior, for president of the International Criminal Police Organization. Mr Al Raisi is part of a security apparatus that systematically targets peaceful critics, rendering civic space virtually non-existent in the country. His appointment would undermine the integrity and mission of INTERPOL. The letter urged the Secretary General to share these concerns with INTERPOL member states.

***

Mr Jürgen Stock
Secretary General
INTERPOL
200 quai Charles de Gaulle
69 006 Lyon, France
October 28, 2020

Re: Appointment of UAE Ministry of Interior Official to the Presidency of INTERPOL

Dear Secretary General,

We, the undersigned, are writing to express our deep concern over recent reports announcing the candidacy of Major General Ahmed Nasser Al Raisi, the General Inspector of the United Arab Emirates' (UAE) Ministry of Interior, for the presidency of the International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL). The elections will be held during the General Assembly on December 7-8 in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

We believe that the appointment of Mr Al Raisi would both undermine the mission and reputation of INTERPOL and severely impact the ability of the organisation to carry out its mission effectively and in good faith. We are additionally concerned over the lack of transparency and oversight in the election process: information on the candidates running for president have not been made public, nor were the candidates subjected to vetting procedures by state parties and civil society actors.

While we understand that the Secretary General is responsible for the operations of INTERPOL, the president must embody its values and mission. Article two of INTERPOL's Constitution states that the aim of the organisation is "to ensure and promote the widest possible mutual assistance between all criminal police authorities within the limits of the laws existing in the different countries and in the spirit of the 'Universal Declaration of Human Rights.'"

Given the UAE's poor human rights record, including the systematic use of torture and ill-treatment in state security facilities, Mr Al Raisi's appointment as president would damage INTERPOL's reputation and stand in great contradiction to the spirit of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the organisation's mission. In this regard, we would like to recall previous reports of the UAE's misuse of INTERPOL red notices.

As the current Inspector General at the Ministry of Interior, Mr Al Raisi's responsibilities include overseeing the organisation and management of the security and police forces in the UAE, conducting periodic inspections into various ministry departments, and investigating complaints against the police and security forces and their members. Mr Al Raisi reports directly to the deputy prime minister and the minister of interior.

As a state representative of the UAE, Mr Al Raisi is part of a security apparatus that continues to systematically target peaceful critics, rendering civic space virtually non-existent in the country. Lawyers, journalists, political activists and human rights defenders in the UAE have been subjected to harsh reprisals, intimidation tactics, enforced disappearances, torture, and arbitrary detention as a result of peacefully expressing their opinions, including on trumped-up "terrorism" charges. In a recent Opinion, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) expressed concern over the "systemic problem with arbitrary detention in the United Arab Emirates," adding that systematic deprivations of liberty in violation of international law "may constitute crimes against humanity."

Furthermore, the UAE is responsible for grave violations of human rights and humanitarian law beyond the country's borders. Despite announcing the withdrawal of most of its ground troops from Yemen in 2019, the UAE remains part of the Saudi-led military operations, continues to maintain a presence in Aden and southern governorates, and continues to provide support for certain Yemeni forces who have committed grave abuses over the past several years.

Lastly, the election of the UAE's security chief as president of INTERPOL would undermine the agency's credibility in combating cybercrime. We recall that as part of its mission, INTERPOL "helps member countries to identify, triage and coordinate the response to cyber threats […] [and] assist[s] countries in developing prevention and disruption strategies." Yet, the Emirati authorities have long resorted to state-sponsored spyware to target dissidents, journalists, and civil society activists.

A 2019 Reuters investigation exposed a clandestine team of former US intelligence operatives, known as Project Raven, which the UAE National Electronic Security Authority recruited to help the UAE engage in surveillance of other governments, foreign journalists, and human rights activists. Emirati human rights defender Ahmed Mansoor, who was disappeared by Emirati security forces in 2017 after he was subjected to several cyberattacks, was one such target of Project Raven. He is currently serving a 10-year prison sentence on charges related to his human rights activism. Loujain al-Hathloul, a prominent Saudi women's rights defender, was also subjected to cyberattacks by the UAE authorities who hacked into her email before arresting and forcibly transferring her to Saudi Arabia in 2018. She remains in prison today in reprisal for her activism.

In light of the above, we believe that it is antithetical to the mission and aims of INTERPOL that the organisation be represented by an individual and a state that have been repeatedly responsible for grave human rights violations. We additionally believe that candidates for the presidency of INTERPOL should have their suitability for the role scrutinised through proper vetting processes that seek to uphold INTERPOL's commitment to international human rights standards. The United Arab Emirates, in the person of Mr Ahmad Al Raisi, should therefore not be in a position to head the International Criminal Police Organisation.

In light of the above, we urge you to share the aforementioned concerns with INTERPOL's member countries ahead of the appointment of the organisation's next president.

We thank you for your consideration and remain available should you wish to discuss this matter.

Sincerely,

 

 

List of Signatories:

  • L'Action des Chrétiens Pour l'Abolition de la Torture – France
    AlQST for Human Rights
  • Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain
  • Association for Victims of Torture in UAE
  • CIVICUS
  • Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN)
  • European Centre for Democracy and Human Rights
  • The Freedom Initiative
  • Gulf Centre for Human Rights
  • Human Rights First
  • Human Rights Watch
  • International Campaign for Freedom in the UAE
  • International Centre for Justice and Human Rights
  • International Service for Human Rights
  • MENA Rights Group
  • L'Organisation Mondiale Contre la Torture (OMCT)
  • Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED)
  • SAM Organization for Rights and Liberties
  • UnidOSC, Mexico

 

Tags: Al RaisiDAWndemocracy for the arab world nowhuman rights violationInterpolJürgen StockPresidency of INTERPOLUAEUnited Arab Emirates
Previous Post

The Middle East and the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election: Change or Continuity?

Next Post

Biden Administration Should Reassess US Interests and Lead by Example in Middle East

Related Posts

A picture taken during a guided tour organised by Egypt's State Information Service on February 11, 2020, shows an Egyptian policeman near watch towers at Tora prison on the southern outskirts of the Egyptian capital Cairo. (Photo by Khaled DESOUKI / AFP) (Photo by KHALED DESOUKI/AFP via Getty Images)
DAWN

Egypt: Mother of Teenager Sentenced for Peaceful 2019 Protests Commits Suicide

Egyptian authorities should immediately release those imprisoned by a terrorism’s court’s arbitrary mass sentence of 82 people, including 22...

DAWN
February 1, 2023
JERUSALEM - JULY 04: Israeli security forces intervene Palestinians as Palestinians try to prevent them to destroy their tents and sheds with bulldozers in Khan al-Ahmar village of eastern Jerusalem on July 04, 2018. (Photo by Issam Rimawi/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
DAWN

U.S.: Destruction of Khan al-Ahmar Should be Tipping Point for 'Special Relationship' with Israel

The Biden Administration should reevaluate its “special relationship” with Israel if the Israeli government advances its plans to forcibly...

DAWN
January 31, 2023
Central Bank of Egypt Governor Hassan Abdalla leaves after speaking at the 2022 Annual Meetings Plenary during the 2022 IMF/World Bank annual meeting October 14, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP) (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
DAWN

Egypt: IMF Bailout Highlights Risks of Austerity, Corruption

The International Monetary Fund’s new US$3 billion loan agreement with Egypt largely continues an economic approach that leaves the economic rights of millions...

DAWN
January 31, 2023
VIENNA, AUSTRIA - OCTOBER 25: King Abdullah of Jordan arrives for his meeting with Austrian chancellor Alexander Schallenberg at the chancellery on October 25, 2021 in Vienna, Austria. The Jordanian king is visiting several European countries this week, culminating with his participation in the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland, that starts on Sunday. (Photo by Thomas Kronsteiner/Getty Images)
DAWN

Jordan: Six Questions U.S. Congress Members Should Ask King Abdullah During D.C. Visit

Ahead of the visit by King Abdullah of Jordan to Washington D.C. for meetings in Congress, Democracy for the...

DAWN
January 27, 2023
Next Post
WILMINGTON, DELAWARE - NOVEMBER 09:  U.S. President-elect Joe Biden speaks to the media while flanked by Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, at the Queen Theater after receiving a briefing from the transition COVID-19 advisory board on November 09, 2020 in Wilmington, Delaware. Mr. Biden spoke about how his administration would respond to the coronavirus pandemic. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Biden Administration Should Reassess US Interests and Lead by Example in Middle East

The Case for Reparations to the Victims of Yemen's War

February 2, 2023

We Are All Alaa Abdel Fattah

February 1, 2023
A picture taken during a guided tour organised by Egypt's State Information Service on February 11, 2020, shows an Egyptian policeman near watch towers at Tora prison on the southern outskirts of the Egyptian capital Cairo. (Photo by Khaled DESOUKI / AFP) (Photo by KHALED DESOUKI/AFP via Getty Images)

Egypt: Mother of Teenager Sentenced for Peaceful 2019 Protests Commits Suicide

February 1, 2023

Categories

  • Advocacy
  • Aid Conditionality
  • Anonymous Interviews
  • Anonymous Interviews Egypt
  • Anonymous Interviews Saudi Arabia
  • Anonymous Interviews UAE
  • Cases
  • Cases Egypt
  • Cases Saudi Arabia
  • Cases UAE
  • Countries
  • Culprits
  • Culprits Egypt
  • Culprits Israel
  • Culprits Saudi Arabia
  • Culprits UAE
  • DAWN
  • Dawn's Advocacy
  • Democracy In Exile
  • Editor's Pick
  • Egypt
  • Feature
  • Fellows
  • Foreign Policy
  • Human Rights
  • Human Rights Go to War
  • International Actors
  • Israel-Palestine
  • Lobbyists
  • Lobbyists Israel Palestine
  • Palestine
  • Political prisoners
  • Press Release Egypt
  • Press Release Israel-Palestine
  • Press Release Saudi Arabia
  • Press Release UAE
  • Press Releases
  • Saudi Arabia
  • UAE
  • Uncategorized
  • United Nations
  • US – Egypt
  • US – Saudi Arabia
  • US – UAE
  • USA

SUPPORT OUR MISSION

Donate Today

About Us

Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN) is a nonprofit organization that promotes democracy, the rule of law, and human rights for all of the peoples of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).

Support Us

Donate Now

Newsletter

Facebook Twitter Instagram Linkedin Youtube

© DAWN All rights reserved. | Website Design by KRS Creative.

DONATE TODAY