Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the report by Sir David Calvert-Smith entitled, Undue influence: the UAE and Interpol, published in April 2021, and the candidacy of Emirati Major General Nasser Ahmed al-Raisi for the Interpol presidency, what assessment (a) she and (b) officials in her Department have made of evidence in that report that the UAE misused the Interpol Red Notice system for minor offences and political gain against people seen as a threat to the regime.

We are aware of this publication. INTERPOL is an independent organisation and is politically neutral in fulfilling its mandate. As with all elections for international organisations, the UK Government will review all candidates for the presidency of INTERPOL and consider our vote carefully. We are committed to the promotion of universal freedoms and human rights and we encourage all states, including the United Arab Emirates, to uphold international human rights obligations.

On 9 September, the Home Secretary with her G7 counterparts committed to strengthening our collective efforts to deter the misuse of INTERPOL notices, to improperly target and detain individuals for exercising their human rights and fundamental freedoms, including through supporting INTERPOL's use of corrective measures, as appropriate and increasing outreach on this issue.