Ben Keith writes for The Times | Syria’s re-engagement with Interpol is a cause for serious concern

Ben Keith writes for The Times on 21 March 2024.

Ben Keith writes in reaction to a photograph depicting a meeting between Ahmed Naser al-Raisi, the president of Interpol and a senior police officer in the UAE, with Mohammad Khaled al-Rahmoun, Syria’s interior minister.

Al-Rahmoun has been sanctioned by the EU, UK, US and Canada over the alleged harshness of the Syrian government’s tactics during the country’s civil war, involving claims of torture, disappearances and murder. Al-Raisi faces accusations of complicity in torture with legal complaints filed against him in France and Austria by Matthew Hedges, a British academic, and Ali Issa Ahmed, a torture victim.

These allegations stand in stark contrast to the expectations of integrity and human rights adherence essential for Interpol.

The controversy surrounding al-Raisi’s meeting with the Syrian minister underscores the urgent need for reform within Interpol. It casts a shadow on the organisation’s credibility and highlights the difficulty of preventing the agency’s exploitation by authoritarian regimes, which undermines international law and global human rights commitments.

The article can be read in full here.

Ben Keith is a leading barrister at 5 St Andrew’s Hill specialising in cross-border and international cases. He deals with all aspects of Extradition, Human Rights, Mutual Legal Assistance, Interpol, Financial crime and International Law including sanctions.