Topics
- Interpol
- Extraditions
- Human rights
- Oppression of the opposition
- Society
- Reforms in Ukraine
- Persecution of lawyers
- Freedom of speech
- Nursultan Nazarbayev
- Zhanaozen
- Igor Vinyavskiy
- Humanitarian aid
- Vladimir Kozlov
- Bolat Atabayev
- Vadim Kuramshin
- Economy
- Alexandr Pavlov
- Mukhtar Ablyazov
- Muratbek Ketebayev
- Election observation
- Culture
- Alma Shalabayeva
- Tatyana Paraskevich
- Zaure Akpenbetova
- EuroMaidan
- Crimea
- Election monitoring
- Lustration
- Ukraine
- Ukrainian World
- Oleg Sentsov
- Nadiya Savchenko
- Zinaida Mukhortova
- Russia
- Kazakhstan
- ATO
- Rafis Kashapov
- Chernobyl
- Nadia Savchenko
- Bota Jardemalie
Interpol and politically motivated extraditions
Undemocratic states are applying increasingly sophisticated methods of repression. They are now using the mechanisms of Interpol and international legal cooperation to persecute their opponents. Dissidents and activists who are critical of governments are the victims of the lack of control mechanisms in this area.In our reports, the Foundation monitors violations related to the abuse of the system of international police and extradition by façade democracies and authoritarian regimes. We pay special attention to the need to reform Interpol and unify the standards of protection of political refugees.
In the present document, the Open Dialogue Foundation, the Italian Federation for Human Rights, the Arrested Lawyers Initiative, the Human Rights Defenders e.V. and the Kharkiv Institute for Social Research attempt to fill the gaps in the PACE report and propose recommendations with respect to impro
In international law, there is an unconditional ban on the extradition of persons to countries where they may find themselves at risk of torture and ill-treatment. Extradition requests issued on the basis of politically motivated prosecutions are also illegal.
The practice of prosecuting political opponents with the help of controlled law enforcement agencies is systemic in Russia. Even in cases when political refugees have left the territory of Russia, they still cannot feel safe.
The extradition of Yerzhan Kadesov – how it is being carried out
Non-democratic states carry out political persecution through the Interpol system. Both human rights NGOs and intergovernmental organisations have been working on this problem for several years. Finally, the reform of Interpol got underway.
Kazakhstan exerts illegal and political influence on Ukraine and Russia in the framework of the criminal case against Mukhtar Ablyazov and Tatiana Paraskevich. The Czech Republic refused to extradite Paraskevich, however, Ukraine and Russia re-submitted similar requests for her extradition.
The decision on his extradition to Russia must be reconsidered
The participant in high-profile corruption scandals Vladimir Guzyr prepared a statement on the ‘validity’ and ‘legality’ of the request for Syrym Shalabayev’s extradition.
In line with an agreement made between Putin and Nazarbayev, investigators from the ‘Magnitsky List’ and representatives of Kazakhstan demanded that Paraskevich and Trofimov sign incriminating testimonies against opposition politician, Ablyazov.
Syrym Shalabayev, a relative of the Kazakh opposition politician Mukhtar Ablyazov, requests that Lithuania grants him political asylum and protection against extradition.
Publications
- They’ve come for you. Misuse of extradition procedures, unlawful expulsions and kidnappings of victims politically motivated prosecution
- Statement of NGOs from different countries regarding the possible election of a Russian representative as a President of Interpol
- Urgent: Special services of Kyrgyzstan extradited Muratbek Tungishbayev to Kazakhstan without waiting for an appeal
- Statement of the Open Dialog Foundation of 15 June 2018 with regard to the defamation campaign against the Foundation
- Open Dialog addresses INTERPOL on the case of Mr. Browder
- Programme OSCE PA Side-event on protection of Lawyers
- Representatives of the Italian Parliament address INTERPOL’s authorities to continue implementation of arrest warrants system reform
- Ukraine is in haste to transfer Zhanara Akhmetova to Kazakhstan
- The case of Zhanara Akhmetova: Ukraine once again helps the authoritarian regime to get an opposition journalist
News
- ODF’s Interpol research as leading source for the European Parliament’s Human Rights Subcommittee (DROI)
- Statement of NGOs from different countries regarding the possible election of a Russian representative as a President of Interpol
- Urgent: Special services of Kyrgyzstan extradited Muratbek Tungishbayev to Kazakhstan without waiting for an appeal
- Statement of the Open Dialog Foundation of 15 June 2018 with regard to the defamation campaign against the Foundation
- Human rights in China and INTERPOL: ODF participates in Brussels debate
- Interpol removes the name of Russian political refugee Yan Andreyev from its wanted list
- Programme OSCE PA Side-event on protection of Lawyers
- Ukraine is in haste to transfer Zhanara Akhmetova to Kazakhstan
- Spies, lies and the oligarch: inside London’s booming secrets industry
On 21 November 2018, at the 87th session of the General Assembly of INTERPOL, a new INTERPOL president will be elected. The representative of the Russian Federation, Major General of Police, Vice-President of INTERPOL Oleksandr Prokopchuk has the greatest chances to be elected for this post.
On 25 June, 2018, the Kyrgyz court authorised the extradition of the well-known opposition blogger Muratbek Tungishbayev to Kazakhstan. On 26 June, 2018, late in the evening, security officers took Tungishbayev from the detention centre in an unknown direction.
Please be advised that any video recordings recently posted on the Internet allegedly involving Lyudmyla Kozlovska, associating her with Bill Browder (initiator of the Global Magnitsky Law campaign) and Mukhtar Ablyazov, (leader of the opposition movement "Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan”) are fake.
On 6 June 2018, the President of the Open Dialog Foundation (ODF) addressed a letter to INTERPOL’s agencies in regard to the Mr. William Browder case. Mr. Browder was subjected to a sixth international arrest warrant issued by the Russian Federation.
On December 22, Mr Erasmo Palazzotto, Vice-Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee and Member of the Italian Chamber of Deputies, signed an appeal addressed to the Secretary General of INTERPOL and to the Chairperson of the Commission for the Control of INTERPOL’s Files.
Kazakhstani opposition journalist Zhanara Akhmetova was detained in Kiev on 21 October 2017 with gross violations of the Ukrainian legislation. On 24 October 2017, the court ruled on her temporary arrest for 18 days. In protest against the decision, Akhmetova went on a hunger strike.
Kazakhstan put the journalist Zhanara Akhmetova on the wanted list on the basis of a court judgement which had already become effective; according to her counsels, it is illegal. The Migration Service of Ukraine refused to grant refugee status to Akhmetova.
On 11 October, 2017, Members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) addressed the Secretary of Interpol, Mr Jürgen Stock, and the Commission for the Control of Interpol’s Files (CCF) in a bid to warn against abusive use of the international arrest warrant.
In two letters addressed to the Secretary of INTERPOL, Mr Jürgen Stock and the Commission for the Control of INTERPOL’s Files (CCF), Members of the Polish Parliament, Mr Marcin Święcicki and Mrs Kornelia Wróblewska expressed their concern over individual cases.
On 24 July 2017, a former BTA Bank employee, Yerzhan Kadesov was extradited from Hungary to Kazakhstan. The information was announced by the Anti-Corruption Agency in Kazakhstan on 10 August 2017.
External sources
- PACE: Legal Committee recommends steps to end abuse of INTERPOL’s Red Notices
- Putin’s Dirty Game in the U.S. Congress
- French Prime Minister signs extradition decree to send Kazakh dissident to Russia
- Oleg Osukhovskiy: “I demand that the membership of the Russian Federation in the Interpol structure be restricted and suspended”
- Human rights activists demand that Ukraine cancel the extradition request for banker Ablyazov from France
- How Europe helps the ‘hunters’ of Ablyazov
- Press-release of the Prosecutor General of the Republic of Kazakhstan