Several high-profile Hongkongers—all former lawmakers and pro-democracy leaders—are now living in exile and seeking help from an unlikely place: Interpol.
Why do I say unlikely place? Because Interpol has been accused of allowing dictatorships to abuse its system, without taking any real measures to punish them for doing so.
In seeking aid, Hongkongers are also helping Interpol to protect itself from further abuse, which, if found, could severely undermine its credibility.
For example, they’ve said how these dissidents are wanted for crimes under the NSL and, as former security minister John Lee said, will be “pursued for life.”
To make matters worse, the government is now threatening to try to use Interpol to chase them down from their “hideouts” in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and, most prominently, the United States.
“The Hong Kong government, police and courts can work together to take various measures to recapture absconders,” Kennedy Wong, a member of Hong Kong’s Legislative Council (LegCo), told China’s state-run media Global Times on May 20, 2021. He continued, “The Hong Kong police can make an offer of arrest to INTERPOL.”
Wong is not alone. Regina Ip, a pro-Beijing lawmaker and former security minister, brought up the use of Interpol even for countries that have now suspended extradition treaties with Hong Kong.
The danger here is spread between those targeted by Hong Kong’s police and Interpol itself. The threat to these brave politicians and pro-democracy protest leaders is very real, as many countries—such as Portugal, the Czech Republic, India, and Malaysia—still maintain extradition treaties with Hong Kong; and even if other countries choose not to act on any Interpol notice to arrest them, it could still cause significant hassles in their lives, especially for traveling.
For example, one high-profile Hong Kong activist had to seek assurances from the Czech foreign ministry to be able to travel, after being invited, to attend seminars there. No such assurances could be given, but he was brave enough to go anyway. And this happened in the Czech Republic, despite its history of standing up for democracy and freedom of speech. The country of Vaclav Havel—the first democratic leader and co-founder of the pro-democratic Charter 77 movement. However, dissidents are not safe in the country, as the government has failed to suspend its extradition treaty with Hong Kong.
Yet, due to the very clear charter of Interpol, should it be found to have approved any red notice (or “diffusion,” a similar but less well-known tool that essentially achieves the same thing), it would be a tremendous blow to the organizations’ legitimacy. Interpol has already taken a hit due to the Idris Hasan case and its failure to penalize China, and others, for using red notices in violation of its charter rules.
Protecting innocent people from the misuse of Interpol’s red notice is an essential first step. Moreover, democratic nations—such as Portugal, the Czech Republic, and India—should suspend their extraditions treaties with Hong Kong. Another important step is for Interpol to examine just what value there is in maintaining mutual legal assistance treaties if countries see any attempt at abusing human rights through these agreements.