UK to welcome Emirati Interpol chief accused of overseeing torture of Britons
Matthew Hedges, the British academic who was jailed and tortured in the UAE in 2018, has criticised the UK government as "spineless" as it prepares to welcome the man who he says oversaw his torture.
Next week, Glasgow will host the 92nd Interpol General Assembly. Overseeing events at the international crime agency meeting will be Ahmed Naser al-Raisi, who was elected head of the organisation in 2021 and is also inspector general of the UAE's interior ministry.
Hedges and another British citizen Ali Issa Ahmad say that Raisi is responsible for the abuse they received while imprisoned in the UAE.
Speaking to Middle East Eye in London, Hedges said it was further indication of the "weakness" of Britain's position in the world and its unwillingness to push back against a longstanding ally.
"It shows where the power lies, where the interests lie, so Raisi coming to Glasgow this week - it's pure spinelessness, especially if there are criminal complaints open and being investigated," he said.
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Ahmad, a 28-year-old from the city of Wolverhampton, was subjected to racial abuse and torture - including being beaten, electrocuted, cut and burned - after being arrested in the UAE in 2019 while attending an Asian Cup football match there.
'It shows where the power lies, where the interests lie, so Raisi coming to Glasgow this week - it's pure spinelessness'
- Matthew Hedges
It is thought that he was arrested for wearing the football shirt of UAE's then arch-rival Qatar, though the UAE has denied this.
At the time of his arrest, Hedges was a doctoral student at Durham University researching the UAE's security regime after the Arab Spring uprisings of 2011.
On 5 May 2018, he was detained and would remain in prison for more than six months.
While incarcerated, Hedges says prison staff forcibly drugged him and interrogated him for up to 15 hours a day, leading him to sign false confessions. He was sentenced to life in prison by an Emirati court in November 2018 but released five days later after a pardon.
He still suffers PTSD as a result of the abuse and requires medication.
Hedges and Ahmad have previously attempted to legally pursue Raisi, and others they say were involved in their torture, suing 10 Emirati officials in the High Court for damages in 2021.
However, they discontinued the legal action in February 2024, after the officials cited “foreign official immunity” to “prevent the court considering their actions", according to the law firm representing Hedges and Ahmad, Carter-Ruck.
French investigative judges also opened a case against Raisi in May 2022.
Last month the UK's Foreign Office apologised to Hedges after an inquiry by the Parliamentary and Health Services Ombudsman (PHSO) found that its officials ignored "obvious signs of torture" when visiting Hedges in prison in Abu Dhabi.
Hedges said the newly elected Labour government had an opportunity to "change the narrative" on the UK's relationship with the UAE, but was not optimistic.
He said Raisi's planned visit to Scotland was an opportunity to show the Labour government will be firmer on the UAE and its alleged abuses.
"But they've clearly shown that's not their interest. Their interest is not in holding states accountable, it's not in pursuing that accountability, in helping people seek redress, in demonstrating ultimately the UK's global leadership," he said.
'Boosting our economy'
Prior to its election victory in July, the Labour Party promised to "uphold human rights and international law" in its dealings with foreign partners.
After taking power, Foreign Secretary David Lammy's first phone call to an Arab leader was with UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdallah bin Zayed, expressing a desire to strengthen ties between the two countries.
The UK has also been progressing with a negotiations for a free trade agreement with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), which includes the UAE, as well as Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, despite repeated warning about human rights abuses in a number of the countries.
Speaking at an event in parliament on Thursday, Human Rights Watch Middle East and North Africa researcher Joey Shea said it seemed as though the "economic relationship with the UAE has taken over any concerns over human rights" and warned that the new GCC deal would "will only make this dynamic worse".
A FCDO spokesperson said "the UK and UAE have a deep and long-standing bilateral relationship, as part of which we address consular and human rights concerns."
“We regularly raise issues through a range of diplomatic channels with the Emirati authorities, including through the British Embassy in Abu Dhabi," they told MEE.
The Department for Business and Trade told MEE that it was "proud of the UK’s role as a leading human rights advocate around the world, as well as our domestic agenda to improve rights at home for British workers".
“Growing our trading relationships is one way to enable open conversations with partners on these matters, while boosting our economy," it said.
Interpol criticism
Interpol has long faced criticism for its failure to reform its controversial red notice system, whereby member states can issue alerts to others that an individual's arrest is sought.
Although red notices can be appealed and removed if they violate Interpol's rules and constitution, the process can be difficult.
Yuriy Nemets, a US-based lawyer and expert in Interpol abuse cases, told MEE in 2019 that those wishing to dispute a red notice did "not have the right to a hearing, to examine evidence that governments produce against them, or the right to appeal the commission's decisions".
The UAE, in particular, has become notorious for using Interpol red notices as a means of tracking down and harassing people who owe debts in the country - something that most countries would not regard as a crime.
Campaigners have warned Raisi's appointment could further open up Interpol to abuse by repressive governments around the world.
Speaking to MEE in 2021, Sandra Grossman - a solicitor who testified in the US Senate about the abuse of Interpol red notices by states as a means of transnational repression - said there were a number of states "who utilise the significant power of the red notice to hunt for political opponents outside of their borders".
She also noted that Interpol Secretary General Jurgen Stock had attempted, around the time of Raisi's election, to emphasise that the Emirati police chief would largely have a symbolic role as president.
"I think the secretary general’s comments significantly downplay the power of the role of the president and the symbolic significance of electing someone like Raisi, who has been accused of torture by what I understand to be several reputable human rights organisations and individuals," she said.
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