British victims of torture filed a criminal case against the head of Interpol of the Emirates

Two British citizens filed a criminal case against Interpol President Ahmed Nasser al-Raisi as he prepared to open the week-long annual conference in Glasgow.

Matthew Hedges and Ali Issa Ahmad, who were detained in United Arab Emirates (UAE) in 2018 and 2019 respectively, both say Raisi oversaw the torture they suffered during their detention as inspector general of the Ministry of Interior.

During Interpol’s 92nd General Assembly, which began on Monday, they filed a criminal offense complaint with supporting evidence to Police Scotland, seeking to question and arrest Raizi while in Glasgow based on the evidence provided.

“There is clearly an opportunity for Police Scotland to act and we urge them to do so,” said Rodney Dixon, who is representing the two.

He told Middle East Eye that his clients stressed that Raisi’s tenure as president continued to “immediately impinge on the credibility and integrity of the organization.”

“Interpol exists to fight international crime, and of course it has to start by looking at itself and making sure that everything is in order in its own house,” he said.

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

He is believed to have been arrested for wearing the shirt of Qatar, the UAE’s then-rivals, although the UAE denied this.

At the time of his arrest, Hedges was a PhD student at Durham University researching the UAE’s security apparatus following the massive Arab anti-government protests of 2011. On May 5, 2018, he was arrested and imprisoned for more than six months on charges of being a British spy.

While in prison, Hedges says prison officials forcibly drugged him and interrogated him for up to 15 hours a day, forcing him to sign false confessions. In November 2018, an Emirati court sentenced him to life in prison, but was released five days later after a pardon.

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

Hedges told Middle East Eye On Thursday, Raisi’s visit was another indication of the “weakness” of Britain’s position in the world and its reluctance to oppose a long-time ally.

“This shows where the power lies, where the interests lie. So for Raizi to come to Glasgow this week is completely out of character, especially when there are open criminal cases and investigations,” Hedges said.

Universal jurisdiction

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

Such countries as Germany used universal jurisdiction to prosecute and imprison Syrian citizens involved in atrocities committed during the country’s civil war.

British law restricts prosecutions for most international crimes to suspects who are British residents or citizens, with the exception of torture.

Hedges and Ahmad previously sought to prosecute Raisi and others they say were involved in their torture, filing a 2021 damages suit against 10 UAE officials in the High Court.

However, they dropped the lawsuit in February 2024 after officials invoked “foreign official immunity” to “prevent judicial review of their actions,” according to Carter-Ruck, the law firm representing Hedges and Ahmad.

Also French investigative judges openly the case against Raisi in May 2022. However, he did not appear when summoned for questioning in June 2023.

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

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

On Monday, a letter was sent to the secretary-general and the executive committee on behalf of Hedges, Ahmad and a Bahraini national. Ahmed Jafar Mohamed Aliwho was illegally deported from Serbia to Bahrain as a result of an Interpol red notice urging them to reject the proposed amendment.

The letter stressed that Raizi should fully cooperate with the French investigation and other national authorities.

Criticism of Interpol

Interpol has long been criticized for failing to reform its controversial red notice system, which allows member countries to send alerts to others who want to arrest an individual.

Although red notices can be appealed and removed if they violate Interpol’s rules and constitution, the process can be complicated.

Yuriy Nemets, an American lawyer and expert in Interpol abuse cases, previously said MEE that those who wished to challenge the red notice “did not have the right to a hearing to examine the evidence presented by governments against them or the right to challenge the commission’s decision”.

The UAE, in particular, has become notorious for using Interpol red notices to track down and prosecute people who have debts in the country – something most countries do not consider a crime.

Activists warn that Raisi’s appointment could further open Interpol to abuse by repressive governments around the world.

Speaking to MEE in 2021, Sandra Grossman, a solicitor who testified before the US Senate about the abuse of Interpol red notices by states as a means of transnational repression, said there are a number of states “that use significant red notice power”. to hunt down political opponents outside their borders.”

She also noted that Interpol Secretary General Jürgen Stock tried around the time of Raisi’s election to downplay the president’s role, suggesting it was largely symbolic.

“I think the secretary-general’s comments greatly diminish the power of the president’s role and the symbolic importance of electing someone like Raisi, who has been accused of torture, I understand, by several respected human rights organizations and individuals,” Grossman said. .