Last week INTERPOL’s Executive Committee met and selected Jürgen Stock as their candidate to succeed current Secretary General Ronald Noble, who is to step down after three five-year terms in the role.

Mr Stock is currently serving as vice president of Germany’s Federal Criminal Police, but will have to give up the role he has held since 2004, if as expected his nomination is formally endorsed at the INTERPOL General Assembly meeting in November. Under INTERPOL’s rules, once endorsed Mr Stock will serve a one year handover period alongside Mr Noble before taking full control in November 2015.

It is the first change at the top of INTERPOL since Mr Noble’s appointment in 2000, in what has been a tenure that has seen a major growth in INTERPOL’s operations. One such growth has been the expansion of its wanted alert system, where the number of Red Notices has risen from 1,277 in 2002 to over 8000 in 2012. Fair Trials has repeatedly warned that this system is being misused by some countries’ police and other authorities.

Fair Trials has enjoyed a good working relationship with INTERPOL under Mr Noble’s leadership, and has met with representatives of the organisation on more than one occasion to discuss our work, including the recommendations made in our report, ‘Strengthening Respect for Human Rights, Strengthening INTERPOL’. The international organisation recognised Fair Trials’ contribution, and identified with Fair Trials a number of areas for further discussion. It is hoped that this relationship can continue, and that Mr Stock, if appointed, will be open to further discussions about how INTERPOL can improve its systems and avoid being misused.

Pressure has been building on INTERPOL since Fair Trials first made its public call for reform over two years ago, looking to prevent INTERPOL’s systems being misused to persecute refugees, journalists and peaceful political campaigners. We have supported many people who believe they have been victim to this kind of abuse, like West Papuan independence leader Benny Wenda and Russian activist Petr Silaev.

Late last year the European Commissioner for Home Affairs, Cecilia Malmström revealed in an answer given to European Parliament that the Commission was aware of specific cases in which allegedly politically-motivated requests were made by a number of INTERPOL’s members for the arrest of wanted persons and undertook to have discussions with INTERPOL about possible reforms (link). More recently we’ve seen problems surrounding Red Notices issued for unfunded cheques.

With several parliamentarians asking questions about the misuse of INTERPOL’s systems of the Federal Government in the Bundestag (the German Parliament), it is clear that Mr Stock steps into the role with much scrutiny at both the national and international levels.

So far, as pressure has continued to build for reform, little change has been forthcoming. It has been reported that INTERPOL are considering the creation of a working group to review the work of Interpol's appeals body and propose reforms. Fair Trials hopes that Mr Stock will make it a priority for this initiative to produce concrete reforms, and will look forward to further constructive work towards that objective.

If you are a journalist interested in this story, please telephone Fair Trials’ press department on 020 7822 2370 or 07950 849 851.

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