Two British citizens filed a criminal complaint against Interpol chairman Ahmed Naser al-Raisi as he prepared to open a 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 incarceration in his role as Inspector General in the Ministry of Interior.

With Interpol’s 92nd General Assembly starting on Monday, the pair lodged a criminal complaint with supporting evidence with Scottish police, demanding that Raisi be questioned and arrested while in Glasgow based on the evidence presented .

“Police Scotland clearly have an opportunity to act and that is what we urge them to do,” said Rodney Dixon QC, who is representing the pair.

He told Middle East Eye that his clients highlighted that having Raisi as chairman continued to “directly affect the credibility and integrity of the organization”.

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

Ahmad, a 28-year-old from Wolverhampton, said he was subjected to racial abuse and torture – including beatings, electrocutions, cuts and burns – after he was arrested in the United Arab Emirates while attending a football match in Asian Cup there.

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

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

While incarcerated, Hedges says prison staff forcibly drugged him and interrogated him for up to 15 hours a day, prompting him to sign false confessions. He was sentenced to life in prison by an emirate court in November 2018, 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 said Middle East Eye on Thursday that Raisi’s visit was another indication of Britain’s “weakness” in the world and its refusal to reject a long-standing ally.

“It shows where the power lies, where the vested interests lie. So Raisi coming to Glasgow this week – it’s pure spinelessness, especially if there are criminal complaints open and investigated,” Hedges said.

Universal Jurisdiction

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

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

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

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

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However, they dropped the legal action in February 2024 after officials cited “foreign official immunity” to “prevent the court from considering their actions,” according to the Carter-Ruck law firm representing Hedges and Ahmad .

Also the French investigative judges open a case against Raisi in May 2022. However, he did not attend a summons for hearing in June 2023.

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

Although his term is set to officially end in 2025, the General Assembly is set 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 the citizens of Bahrain. Ahmed Jaafar Mohamed Aliwho was illegally deported from Serbia to Bahrain following an Interpol Red Notice urging them to reject the proposed amendment.

The letter insisted that Raisi 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 issue alerts to others requesting the arrest of a person.

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

Yuriy Nemets, a US-based lawyer and expert in former Interpol abuse cases said MEE that those who wanted to challenge a red notice “did not have the right to a hearing, to examine the evidence that governments produce against them, or the right to challenge the commission’s decisions.”

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

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

Speaking to MEE in 2021, Sandra Grossman, a lawyer who testified in the US Senate about states’ misuse of Interpol red notices as a means of transnational repression, said there are a number of states “using the significant power of red notices . to hunt political opponents outside their borders”.

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

“I think the secretary-general’s comments significantly undermine the power of the president’s role and the symbolic significance of electing someone like Raisi, who has been accused of torture by what I understand to be several reputable human rights organizations and individuals,” Grossman said . .