Interpol unblocks option to issue ‘red notices’ to Russian war criminals - head of National Police Intl Cooperation Dept
The International Criminal Court (ICC), the future tribunal for aggression, bodies created by the UN Security Council and Interpol member countries will be able to submit requests for "red notices" for war criminals of the Russian Federation, while Ukraine will have the chance to use Interpol's tools against war criminals who are also citizens of countries other than the Russian Federation or Belarus, said Vitaliy Kasap, head of the department of international police cooperation of the National Police of Ukraine.
In a blitz interview with the Interfax-Ukraine agency, he said that last week Interpol Secretary General Valdecy Urquiza made a decision that restored the ability of Ukraine and other countries to use the tools for investigating war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide, as provided for in Resolution AG-2010-RES-10.
Explaining how the said rule actually works, Kasap noted that, according to the resolution, requests can be considered by the General Secretariat of Interpol (GSI) in several cases. "The first is when requests come from international tribunals. For example, the International Criminal Court can file a request to publish a ‘red alert’ regarding its defendants. Also, in the future, a special tribunal for aggression from Russia will be able to contact Interpol when one is created," the head of the department said.
However, as he noted, this also applies to requests from bodies created by the UN Security Council, which are authorized to investigate specific situations. "But we remember which country is also a member of the UN Security Council, so we should not rely too much on this instrument," he added.
Kasap also reported that the third way that Ukraine will be able to use is requests from Interpol member countries. Also, from now on, Ukraine has a chance to use these tools against war criminals who are citizens of countries other than the Russian Federation and Belarus. "These are the same mercenaries and foreigners - members of numerous PMCs or citizens of our state, who also committed war crimes against citizens of Ukraine," he specified.
