Chinese official win key Interpol post amidst global concern
Nov 25, 2021
Lyon [France], November 26 : A global alliance of lawmakers on China has expressed deep concern over the election of senior Chinese government official Hu Binchen to the Interpol Executive Committee at the General Assembly meeting.
"Mr Binchen HU of China and Mr Praveen Sinha of India have been elected to the posts of Delegate for Asia (3-yr term)," Interpol said in a tweet.
The Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) said in a statement that the government of the People's Republic of China (PRC) has repeatedly abused the Interpol Red Notice to persecute dissidents in exile.
The elections were held in Turkey during the ongoing 89th General Assembly of the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL).
"Hu's election gives the PRC government a green light to continue using Interpol as a vehicle for its repressive policies globally and places thousands of Hong Konger, Uyghur, Tibetan, Taiwanese and Chinese dissidents living abroad at even graver risk," IPAC said.
"The PRC cannot be allowed to continue its long arm policing abroad. In light of these abuses, we reiterate our call for all governments to revoke extradition treaties with the PRC and Hong Kong. Activists, dissidents and exiles living abroad must be protected from harassment and intimidation from the PRC authorities," the statement added.
Earlier, parliamentarians and activists from around the world had launched a global campaign to oppose the candidacy of Hu Binchen, a Deputy Director General at China's Ministry of Public Security, to the Interpol Executive Committee.
As many as 50 legislators, from 20 countries, who are part of the IPAC penned a joint letter to their governments raising alarm at China's moves to gain influence over the global policing body.
The letter had references to recent attempts by the Chinese government to use the Interpol Red Notice system to target Uyghur activists living in exile and argues that Hu Binchen's election would give Beijing a 'green light' to continue using Interpol as "a vehicle for the PRC government's repressive policies."
Separately, a letter from 40 activists to the Interpol Member States warning that Hu Binchen's election would have "grave consequences for the safety and wellbeing of Chinese, Hong Kongers, Taiwanese and Chinese human rights activists living outside China as well as Tibetan and Uyghur diasporas."
