Helsinki Commission hearing to probe autocratic abuse of INTERPOL

As modern technology has allowed political dissidents and human rights defenders to operate from almost anywhere on the planet, repressive regimes have searched for opportunities to reach those who threaten their rule from afar.

To silence dissent from abroad, autocrats often turn to the International Criminal Police Organization, known as INTERPOL, to file bogus criminal claims seeking the arrest and extradition of their political targets. This abuse of INTERPOL Red Notices and Diffusions enables autocratic governments to harass and intimidate their opponents thousands of miles away, even within free and democratic societies.

The U.S. Helsinki Commission will convene an expert panel to highlight how autocrats today use INTERPOL and other means such as surveillance, abduction, and assassination to punish dissent overseas. Witnesses will suggest how the United States and other democratic nations can defend against these threats to the rule of law domestically and internationally.

The following witnesses are scheduled to participate:

• Alexander Cooley, Director, Columbia University's Harriman Institute for the Study of Russia, Eurasia and Eastern Europe; Claire Tow Professor of Political Science, Barnard College

• Sandra A. Grossman, Partner, Grossman Young & Hammond, Immigration Law, LLC

• Bruno Min, Senior Legal and Policy Advisor, Fair Trials

• Nate Schenkkan, Director for Special Research, Freedom House

Additional witnesses may be added.