Ahmed Nasser al-Raisi, who is accused of torture, has taken on a major cultural role for four years.
Emirati chief is charged with torture has been elected president of Interpol, according to the International Police Service, despite concerns from human rights groups and members of the European Parliament.
“Ahmed Nasser al-President of the United Arab Emirates has been elected President (4 years),” Interpol said on Twitter on Thursday.
General al-Raisi, the head of the security forces in the UAE, has taken a major part of the ceremony and of their own free will.
Interpol’s secretary general oversees day-to-day operations at Lyon. Juergen Stock, the current secretary general, was given a second five-year term in 2019.
Complaints of “persecution” were filed against the Emirati chief in recent months in France and Turkey, which is hosting the Interpol summit in Istanbul this week.
The decision follows a bribe given to the UAE by the police and cases in which Abu Dhabi misused Interpol’s so-called “red notices” on suspicion of torturing political opponents.
Three members of the European Parliament wrote a letter dated November 11 to European Union President Ursula von der Leyen warning of how the election of a new president could affect Interpol.
“The appointment of General Al Raisi could tarnish the image and reputation of Interpol and seriously undermine the organisation’s ability to fulfill its mission,” he wrote.
As of October 2020, 19 NGOs, including Human Rights Watch, he complained about the election which al-Raisi, who described as “part of the security apparatus that continues to pursue peace activists”.
