How important is it for Turkey to host the Interpol meeting this year?
Turkey was chosen to host this years meeting of the International Criminal Police Organization, known as Interpol, a move that comes as a surprise to many given its difficult track record with the agency. June 3 wasadthat the 89th Interpol General Assembly would be held in Istanbul from 20 to 25 November. The event was postponed last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which also resulted in the postponement of elections for key Interpol positions, including its chairman. Turkish officials hailed the selection for what they say is an opportunity to develop a more constructive relationship with the agency. However, Yuriy Nemets, a Washington DC lawyer and Interpol expert, considers Interpols choice for Turkey questionable due to their difficult relationship over the years. The fact that the organization is always willing to host its general assembly in Turkey suggests to me that Interpol does not care much about its reputation, Nemets, who is also the author of theRed Notice Abuseblog about Interpol developments, Ahval News said in a recent podcast. Since the failed July 2016 coup attempt to overthrow Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkeys relations with Interpol have been strained. As Ankara purified its own national institutes of people she claimed to be supporters of exiled cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom Erdogan holds responsible for this failed coup, she also waged her fight against them on a scale. world and tried to engage Interpol in pursuit of it. The agency, whose apolitical character is anchored in its constitution, did not follow Turkeys campaign. Just this week, a Turkish court issued a new arrest warrant for Can Dundar, the former editor-in-chief of Cumhuriyet, and asked Interpol for a Red Notice for his arrest, which the agency rejected. After announcing that Turkey would host the next Istanbul conference, Deputy Foreign Minister Yavuz Selim Kran complained that cooperation with Interpol was not at the desired level. Nemets said Turkeys history of trying to abuse Interpol, particularly through its Red Notice demands and targeting of political opponents, shows why it is a questionable choice to host the meeting. Interpol in November. What makes it more doubtful is that the meeting will include elections for the Interpol Files Control Commission (CCF), the main body responsible for handling personal information in accordance with its rules. Obviously the fact that he [Interpol] will elect new members for the CCF, the main body responsible for individual complaints challenging government abuses, in Istanbul is sadly ironic, Nemets noted. For elections to the CCF or other Interpol positions such as the Presidency, Member States such as Turkey are allowed to nominate candidates for the position. This year there are three openings. Nemets explained, however, that even if Turkey succeeds in getting a candidate into the CCF, members must recuse themselves in cases involving their home country. Even without an official on the committee, however, Nemets says Interpols existing mechanisms, including the issuance of red notices, are already easily abused by governments. So while he doesnt expect the Interpol meeting to result in new rules that would prevent Turkey and other authoritarian states, like Russia or China, from abusing the system, Nemets also thinks that no further changes will be made in their favor. Ultimately, to prevent Turkey and others from taking advantage of Interpol for their own purposes, the lawyer insists the agency must adopt rules that make it more transparent and guarantee genuine rights to a due process to those they may target. If we had an Interpol commission made up of members from Russia, China, Turkey and, say, Egypt, we would be in trouble. Theres no other way to put it, he said.