Parliamentarians and activists from around the world have 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 at its General Assembly session later this month.
50 legislators from the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) have penned a joint letter to their governments raising alarm at the PRC’s moves to gain influence over the global policing body. The letter references 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.”
The signatories span 20 countries across four continents, with prominent figures including German Green Reinhard Bütikofer MEP, Chair of the European Parliament’s China Delegation; Sir Iain Duncan Smith, former UK Conservative Party leader; Australian Labor Senator Kimberley Kitching and former US Presidential candidate Senator Marco Rubio.
The moves were accompanied by a separate letter from 40 activists to 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.” Prominent signatories include World Uyghur Congress President Dolkun Isa, himself subject to an INTERPOL Red Notice by the PRC government for nearly two decades; and former Hong Kong legislators Nathan Law and Ted Hui, both of whom are wanted by the Chinese government for alleged violations under the city’s so-called National Security Law.
Hu Binchen’s election bid coincides with the release of a new report into the Chinese government’s efforts to hide the extent of its ‘long arm policing abroad’. The report, published by human rights advocacy group Safeguard Defenders, reveals for the first time how the Chinese government is refraining from making its INTERPOL Red Notice requests public, putting thousands of activists and dissidents at risk of arrest, detention and extradition to China. The report also examines the role of Hu Binchen’s International Cooperation Department in the PRC’s pursuit of alleged ‘fugitives’ abroad through legal and illegal means.
Senator Kimberley Kitching, IPAC Co-Chair, said:
“The Chinese Communist Party is increasing its influence over the world’s most important institutions. From the UN Human Rights Council to the World Health Organisation, we have already seen how the CCP’s pernicious influence poses a threat to us all. That Beijing could be extending its influence over the world’s policing body should be raising alarm bells in Embassies across the world. Our governments must press delegates to oppose Hu Binchen’s election.”
TEXT OF LETTER BELOW
Hon Karen Andrews MP, Minister for Home Affairs (Australia)
Marco Mendicino, Minister of Public Safety (Canada)
Annelies Verlinden, Minister of the Interior (Belgium)
Jan Hamáček, Minister of the Interior (Czechia)
Kaare Dybvad, Minister of the Interior (Denmark)
Commissioner Ylva Johansson, Commissioner for Home Affairs (European Union)
Minister Gérald Darmanin, Minister of the Interior (France)
Horst Seehofer, Minister of the Interior, Building and Community (Germany)
Amit Shah, Minister of Home Affairs (India)
Helen McEntee, Minister for Justice (Ireland)
Satoshi Ninoyu, Chairperson of the National Public Safety Commission (Japan)
Agnė Bilotaitė, Minister of the Interior (Lithuania)
Ferdinand Grapperhaus II, Minister of Justice and Security (Netherlands)
Hon Poto Williams, Minister of Police (New Zealand)
Mikael Damberg, Minister of the Interior (Sweden)
Karin Keller-Sutter, Head of the Department of Justice and Police (Switzerland)
Rt Hon Priti Patel, Home Secretary (United Kingdom)
Alejandro Nicholas Mayorkas, Secretary of Homeland Security (United States)
Subject: Candidacy of Hu Binchen (P.R. China) to INTERPOL’s Executive Committee
15 November 2021
Dear Ministers,
We write to you to state our opposition to the candidacy of Hu Binchen to the election of the INTERPOL Executive Committee at the upcoming 89th General Assembly Session on the 23rd – 25th of November.
The government of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has repeatedly abused the INTERPOL Red Notice to persecute dissidents in exile. Most recently, Uyghur activist Idris Hasan was arrested in Morocco following a since-deleted Red Notice filed by the PRC government. At the time of writing, Hasan could still face extradition to the PRC where he is likely to be a victim of arbitrary detention and torture. Uyghur leader Dolkun Isa was arrested en-route to addressing the Italian Senate following a Red Notice issued by the PRC, one which remained in place for nearly 20 years.
The PRC government also has a history of leveraging INTERPOL committee positions to exert undue influence on the organisation. The election of Meng Hongwei to the position of INTERPOL President in 2016 reportedly saw attempts to interfere with the functioning and political neutrality of the INTERPOL General Secretariat. As the PRC government seeks to use INTERPOL as a cover for its repressive policies abroad these attempts to exert undue influence will only increase.
By electing Hu Binchen to the Executive Committee, the General Assembly would be giving a green light to the PRC government to continue their misuse of INTERPOL and would place the tens of thousands of Hong Konger, Uyghur, Tibetan, Taiwanese and Chinese dissidents living abroad at even graver risk.
Allowing INTERPOL to be used as a vehicle for the PRC government’s repressive policies does great harm to its international standing. We call on you to oppose the candidacy of Hu Binchen and to support efforts to reform the INTERPOL Red Notice system to protect victims of political persecution worldwide.
We will be following the upcoming General Assembly closely and look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
MEMBERS OF THE INTER-PARLIAMENTARY ALLIANCE ON CHINA
Senator Eric Abetz (Australia)
Kevin Andrews MP (Australia)
Senator Alex Antic (Australia)
George Christensen MP (Australia)
Senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells (Australia)
Senator Kimberley Kitching (Australia)
Samuel Cogolati MP (Beligum)
Georges Dallemagne MP (Belgium)
Irwin Cotler (Canada)
Garnett Genuis MP (Canada)
Senator Pavel Fischer (Czechia)
Helena Langšádlová MP (Czechia)
Uffe Elbaek MP (Denmark)
Reinhard Bütikofer MEP (European Parliament)
Engin Eroglu MEP (European Parliament)
Sandro Gozi MEP (European Parliament)
David Lega MEP (European Parliament)
Miriam Lexmann MEP (European Parliament)
Senator Olivier Cadic (France)
Senator Hélène Conway Mouret (France)
Ms. Frédérique Dumas (France)
Senator André Gattolin (France)
Michael Brand MdB (Germany)
Ninong Ering MLA (India)
Sujeet Kumar MP (India)
Amar Patnaik MP (India)
Senator Michael McDowell (Ireland)
Senator David Norris (Ireland)
Shiori Yamao (Japan)
Dovilė Šakalienė MP (Lithuania)
Sjoerd Sjoerdsma MP (Netherlands)
Tom van der Lee MP (Netherlands)
Simon O’Connor MP (New Zealand)
Louisa Wall MP (New Zealand)
David Josefsson MP (Sweden)
Elisabet Lann (Sweden)
Nicolas Walder MP (Switzerland)
Lord (David) Alton (United Kingdom)
Chris Bryant MP (United Kingdom)
Nusrat Ghani MP (United Kingdom)
Damian Green MP (United Kingdom)
Geraint Davies MP (United Kingdom)
Rt Hon Sir Iain Duncan-Smith MP (United Kingdom)
Rosie Cooper MP (United Kingdom)
Tim Loughton MP (United Kingdom)
Craig Mackinlay MP (United Kingdom)
Layla Moran MP (United Kingdom)
Representative Mike Gallagher (United States)
Senator Marco Rubio (United States)
