British torture victims file criminal complaint against Emirati Interpol chief

Two English Citizens filed a criminal complaint against Interpol President Ahmed Naser al-Raisi, who was preparing to open the week-long annual conference in Glasgow.

Those detained are Matthew Hedges and Ali Issa Ahmad. United Arab Emirates (UAE) says that in 2018 and 2019 respectively, both while Raisi was serving as inspector general at the Ministry of Internal Affairs, he inspected the torture they were subjected to during their incarceration.

During the 92nd Interpol General Assembly, which begins on Monday, the duo filed a criminal complaint with the Scottish police with supporting evidence, demanding that Raisi be questioned and arrested in Glasgow based on the evidence presented.

Rodney Dixon QC, representing the two, said: “It is clear that Scottish police have an opportunity to act and we urge them to do so.”

He told Middle East Eye that his clients had stressed that Raisi’s presence as president continued to “directly undermine the credibility and integrity of the organisation.”

“Interpol is there to fight international crime and it should certainly start by looking after itself and making sure its own house is in order,” he said.

Ahmad, 28, from Wolverhampton, said he was subjected to racial abuse and torture, including beatings, electric shocks, cuts and burns, after he was arrested while attending an Asian Cup football match in the UAE.

It is thought that he was arrested for wearing the football jersey of Qatar, which was UAE’s rival at the time, although the UAE denied this.

At the time of his arrest, Hedges was a PhD student at Durham University and was investigating the UAE’s security apparatus following mass Arab anti-government protests in 2011. He was detained on May 5, 2018 and sentenced to more than six months in prison. Being a British spy.

Hedges said that while he was incarcerated, prison staff forcibly drugged him and interrogated him for up to 15 hours a day, causing him to sign false confessions. He was sentenced to life imprisonment by an Emirati court in November 2018 but was released after a pardon five days later.

He currently suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a result of the abuse and requires medication.

fences He told Middle East Eye He said on Thursday Raisi’s visit was another indication of the “weakness” of Britain’s position in the world and its reluctance to back down on a long-standing ally.

“It shows where the power is, where the interests are. So for Raisi to come to Glasgow this week is a complete spinelessness, especially if there are criminal charges open and under investigation,” Hedges said.

Universal jurisdiction

The complaint is brought under the principle of universal jurisdiction, which under international law allows domestic courts to try individuals accused of serious crimes, including genocide and crimes against humanity, regardless of where the crime was committed.

Countries like Germany We used universal jurisdiction to prosecute and imprison Syrian nationals involved in atrocities committed during the country’s civil war.

British law restricts prosecutions of most international crimes, except torture, to suspects who are UK residents or citizens.

Hedges and Ahmad have previously sought to legally pursue Raisi and others they say were involved in torture, suing 10 Emirati officials for damages in the Supreme Court in 2021.

But they halted the case in February 2024 after authorities cited “foreign official immunity” to “prevent the court from considering their actions,” according to the Carter-Ruck law firm that represented Hedges and Ahmad.

French investigating judges also opened A lawsuit filed against Raisi in May 2022. However, he did not attend the interrogation subpoena in June 2023.

Raisi was elected head of Interpol in 2021 despite warnings from human rights organizations that accused him of overseeing numerous abuses in the UAE, including torture, sexual abuse, arbitrary detention and enforced disappearances.

Although his term is officially scheduled to end in 2025, the General Assembly is expected to vote next week on a constitutional amendment that would allow him to run for another term.

A letter was sent to the secretary-general and the Executive Committee on behalf of Hedges, Ahmad and the Bahraini nationals on Monday. Ahmed Jafar Muhammad Aliwho was unlawfully deported from Serbia to Bahrain as a result of an Interpol red notice, urged him to reject the proposed change.

The letter insisted that Raisi must cooperate fully with the French investigation and other national authorities.

Criticism of Interpol

Interpol has long faced criticism for failing to reform its controversial red notice system, which allows member states to warn other countries that they want a person detained.

Although red notices can be challenged and removed if they violate Interpol rules and constitution, the process can be difficult.

Yuriy Nemets, a US-based lawyer and expert on Interpol abuse cases, previously I told MEE It was stated that those who want to object to the red notice “do not have the right to a hearing, to examine the evidence presented by governments against them, or to object to commission decisions.”

The UAE in particular became notorious for using Interpol red notices to track and harass people who owed money in the country; Most countries do not consider this a crime.

Campaigners have warned that Raisi’s appointment could leave Interpol even more vulnerable to abuses by repressive governments around the world.

Speaking to MEE in 2021, Sandra Grossman, a lawyer who testified in the US Senate about the misuse of Interpol red notices by states as a tool of transnational pressure, said there were a number of states that “leveraged the significant power of the red notice”. hunting down political opponents outside their own borders”.

He also noted that Interpol Secretary General Jurgen Stock tried to downplay the president’s role at the time Raisi was elected, suggesting it was largely symbolic.

“I think the Secretary-General’s comments significantly underestimate the power of the president’s role and the symbolic importance of electing someone like Raisi, who, as I understand it, has been accused of torture by many respected human rights organizations and individuals,” Grossman said. he said. .