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China’s nominee to Interpol committee opposed by lawmakers from 20 countries
- Electing Hu Binchen would endorse misuse of the police body such as issuing its global alerts to persecute dissidents, legislators say in letter
- Hong Kong, Uygur, Tibetan, Taiwanese and Chinese activists abroad would be endangered, they argue
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More than four dozen lawmakers from 20 countries have written to their governments opposing the nomination of Hu Binchen from China’s Ministry of Public Security for an oversight position at global policing organisation Interpol.
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Hu has been put forward as a candidate for the body’s 13-member executive committee, which supervises the work of Interpol’s general secretariat. The election for the committee, which meets three times a year and sets organisational policy and direction, will be held next week during Interpol’s general assembly in Turkey.
The legislators, members of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, said Hu’s potential election raised alarm given concerns over China’s attempts to enforce its laws abroad and alleged misuse of Interpol’s red notices, or alert system.
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“The government of the People’s Republic of China has repeatedly abused the Interpol red notice to persecute dissidents in exile,” they said in the letter, which has 50 signatories. “Most recently, Uygur activist Idris Hasan was arrested in Morocco following a since-deleted red notice filed by the [Chinese] government.
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