Latest news with #RedNotices
Canada News.Net
04-08-2025
- Politics
- Canada News.Net
World Uyghur Congress highlights global pushback against China's Uyghur repression
Munich [Germany], August 4 (ANI): The World Uyghur Congress (WUC) recently issued its weekly brief, highlighting three significant developments that reflected growing international scrutiny of China's treatment of the Uyghur people. The brief pointed to increased political engagement in the UK, legal advancements in Argentina, and mounting concern over forced labour linked to European imports. As detailed in the brief, the UK's Joint Committee on Human Rights has released an in-depth report revealing the expanding threat of transnational repression (TNR), a practice where authoritarian states, notably China, targeted exiled dissidents through surveillance, intimidation, and harassment on UK territory. The report found that Uyghur activists in the UK has been subjected to growing pressure, diminishing their freedom to speak publicly. The brief said that despite the severity of the issue, the UK has not yet implemented a formal definition of TNR or a coordinated national response. The Committee has recommended urgent steps including law enforcement training, a victim support hotline, and protections against abusive legal tactics such as SLAPPs. The WUC also highlighted findings from a new report by the Uyghur Human Rights Project (UHRP), which warned of a surge in direct air cargo routes from Urumchi, capital of East Turkistan, to numerous cities across the EU, UK, and Switzerland. Since June 2024, as mentioned in brief, at least nine Chinese freight companies have been operating these routes, carrying goods from sectors known to be tied to forced Uyghur labour, such as apparel, electronics, and agriculture. The report emphasised that due to the Chinese government's tight control and surveillance in the region, independent verification of supply chains is not possible. WUC has called for the EU to designate East Turkistan as a high-risk area and urged the UK to publish trade data and implement targeted import bans. In a landmark legal development, the brief reported that Argentina's highest criminal court ruled to allow a genocide and crimes against humanity case filed by Uyghur human rights advocates against Chinese officials to proceed. Previously blocked by lower courts, the case could now lead to international arrest warrants and Interpol Red Notices, offering a rare route toward accountability for senior Chinese leaders. The Uyghur population in China, primarily based in the Xinjiang, has faced widespread human rights abuses by the Chinese government. Large number of Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims have reportedly been detained in so-called 're-education camps.' Reports and investigations have detailed forced labour, mass surveillance, religious restrictions, family separations, and allegations of genocide. Chinese authorities claim these measures are counter-terrorism efforts, but international human rights organisations, governments, and UN bodies have condemned them as crimes against humanity and ethnic persecution. (ANI)
Epoch Times
31-07-2025
- Politics
- Epoch Times
Transnational Repression Growing ‘Unchecked' in UK, Parliamentary Report Warns
Transnational repression by foreign governments has been growing 'unchecked' in the UK, a parliamentary committee warned in a report published on Wednesday. Joint Committee on Human Rights (JCHR) said in its report that foreign states, including Russia, China, and Iran, have targeted individuals in the UK using a range of tactics, such as surveillance, online harassment, police bounties, INTERPOL Red Notices, lawsuits, and assassinations.
Forbes
30-07-2025
- Politics
- Forbes
British Parliamentarians Warn About Transnational Repression In The U.K.
[Stock photo] View of Big Ben and Houses of Parliament in Westminster, London, as thunderclouds loom ... More over the capital. (Photo credit: Dinendra Haria/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) On July 30, 2025, a Parliamentary committee in the United Kingdom published a report warning about the ever-growing issue of transnational repression on British soil. The report produced by the Joint Committee on Human Rights, a committee consisting of members of both Houses of Parliament (House of Commons and House of Lords), to examine matters relating to human rights within the United Kingdom, found that foreign governments are being increasingly bold in attempts to silence and intimidate individuals and communities in the U.K. Transnational repression refers to a range of tactics that foreign governments employ to reach beyond their borders to harm, intimidate, threaten, harass, or coerce individuals. Transnational repression may take various forms, including, but not limited to, stalking, online disinformation campaigns, harassment, intimidation or threats, threatening or detaining family members or friends in the country of origin, abusive legal practices, cyberhacking, among others. Those targeted often include political dissidents, activists, journalists, and political opponents, among others. The Committee received credible evidence that a number of states have engaged in acts of transnational repression on U.K. soil. These actions have a serious impact on those targeted, instilling fear, and limiting their freedom of expression and movement, among others. The Committee identified several countries which are notorious when it comes to targeting individuals in the U.K., including China, Russia and Iran. As the report explains, China has been resorting to tactics such as surveillance, online harassment, and threats to family members abroad as means of transnational repression. China has also placed 'bounties' on several individuals, offering a $HK1 million reward for information leading to their capture abroad. Among their targets is Chloe Cheung, a 19-year-old, who is sought by Hong Kong authorities for alleged violations of the controversial National Security Law. The report further warns that China operates unofficial Chinese 'police stations' in the U.K. They are said to monitor and pressure members of the Chinese diaspora. Russia, on the other hand, is accused of misusing INTERPOL Red Notices and Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPP) to intimidate and silence journalists, activists, and other critics. This is in addition to Russia conducting attacks on individuals on British soil, including the Salisbury nerve agent attack on Sergei and Yulia Skripal, among others. Iran has been resorting to assassination plots, physical attacks, intimidation of family members, asset freezing, judicial proceedings, smear campaigns, online abuse, surveillance and digital attacks such as hacking, doxing and impersonation, targeting individuals in the U.K. Iranian 'cultural centers' are said to be used as fronts for surveillance operations targeting members of the Iranian diaspora. Journalists covering the situation in Iran are at particular risk and have been subjected to some of the most aggressive forms of transnational repression. As Reporters without Borders is quoted in the report: 'Iranian women journalists have been subjected to gendered and sexualized abuse, including explicit threats of rape or sexual violence towards them or their families (including children), the circulation of fake stories designed to ruin their reputations and photoshopped pornographic images.' Other countries accused of using transnational repression in the U.K. include Bahrain, Egypt, Eritrea, India, Pakistan, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Despite the litany of cases, especially as seen in recent years, the Committee warns that the U.K. currently lacks a clear strategy to address the issue of transnational repression. There is no formal definition of transnational repression in the U.K., and the government does not routinely collect data on such targeting, and in turn, authorities cannot understand the scale and nature of the threat in the U.K. Furthermore, police officers often lack the training necessary to respond effectively to transnational repression, resulting in inconsistent and ineffective support for transnational repression victims. Chair of the Joint Committee on Human Rights, Lord David Alton of Liverpool, commented: 'The U.K. should be a place of sanctuary and safety; however, we are concerned that there is a growth of foreign repression on U.K. soil that is going unchecked. This risks undermining the U.K.'s ability to protect the human rights of its citizens and those who have sought safety within its borders. We have seen prominent cases of Hong Kongers with bounties placed on their heads, Iran intimidating journalists, but evidence submitted to the inquiry suggests this may be the tip of the iceberg.' The issue of transnational repression requires comprehensive responses. The Joint Committee on Human Rights identified several important recommendations to help the U.K. deal with the issue. While direct at the U.K., many of the recommendations are transferable and should be adopted by other States too.
The Hindu
20-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
CBI-backed Interpol Red Notices doubled since 2023 with India's diplomatic, tech push
Interpol's Red Notices issued at the CBI's request have more than doubled annually since 2023, showing a paradigmatic shift in the country's pursuit of fugitives by building on the deliberations during the hosting of the Interpol General Assembly and G20 summit as well as by embracing technological sophistication, officials said on Sunday (July 20, 2025). The Lyon-based International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) had issued 25 Red Notices in 2020, 47 in 2021 and 40 in 2022. Since 2023, the number of Red Notices issued on India's request spiralled with remarkable alacrity— 100 notices in 2023, 107 in 2024 and 56 in the first six months of 2025, the latest data seen by the PTI shows. The Interpol traditionally issued eight coloured notices for different purposes to 195 member countries, alerting them on a request from a country. It has added a ninth one— Silver Notice— on a pilot basis this year, in which India is also a participant, to track illicit assets parked abroad. A Red Notice (RCN), the most important one to track a fugitive, is a request issued by Interpol to law enforcement worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition, surrender or similar legal action. It is the first crucial step in pursuing the extradition of a fugitive who escaped to a different country to evade the law. All state and central agencies submit their request for Interpol Notices to the CBI, which is the nodal agency for India for all Interpol matters. The CBI then makes the requests for the Notices to Interpol and coordinates with the intergovernmental organisation in follow-up. "It is only after an RCN is issued that a fugitive can be located abroad. Once the alleged criminal is located, diplomacy and law enforcement work in tandem to secure the extradition or deportation," an official in the know of the process said. The uptick was not only visible in terms of Red Notices issued on India's request, but also in other colour-coded Notices as well. The Blue Notices, through which a country seeks information about a person, have gone up from 47 in 2020 to 68 in 2024 and 82 till now in 2025; Yellow notices, used for seeking details of abductions, disappearances or identity issues, have gone up from one in 2020 to 27 in 2024 and four in 2025 (till now). In total, 145 Interpol Notices have been issued in 2025 till now, as compared to 73 issued in 2020. Last year, 208 Notices were issued by the Interpol, the data shows. The increase in the number of Notices by Interpol at India's request can be attributed to a confluence of deft diplomacy, institutional assertiveness and technological modernisation, besides the meticulously hosted Interpol General Assembly in November 2022, followed by the G20 Summit in 2023, officials said. On a special request from India, the Interpol General Assembly was held in 2022 here to coincide with the 75th Anniversary of Indian Independence, 25 years after the global confluence of police chiefs was held here in 1997. Normally, each of the 195 member countries gets a chance to hold the annual event on a rotation basis. The Assembly served as both a symbol and a catalyst, deepening the agency's operational rapport with Interpol's General Secretariat in Lyon, they said. The G20 Summit held in 2023 further burnished India's image at the international level. Ostensibly an economic conclave of 20 big countries and regions, the event enabled ancillary security collaborations, lubricating internal legal cooperation and consensus on extradition of fugitives. In both events, India made a strong argument in favour of the extradition of fugitives wanted by a country and the denial of "safe havens" to criminals. The CBI, which is the National Central Bureau of India, also took a leap in terms of digital sophistication, employing advanced data analytics, digitised dossiers, AI-powered profiling and seamless integration with Interpol's I-24/7 network. In 2023, the CBI top brass emphasised on making Interpol engagement seamless and cutting down on the processing time of requests coming from state police, besides building on the negotiations during the General Assembly and G20. The agency developed an in-house portal, Bharatpol, operationalised in January, which made the process of RCN -- historically mired in paperwork and procedural torpor -- frictionless and cut down the time from an average of six months to three months. The results translated in terms of extradition as well, with the CBI coordinating closely with Interpol, as well as state and central enforcement agencies, to secure the extradition or deportation of 134 fugitives since 2020. Of these, 23 were brought back this year alone. In contrast, only 74 fugitives were returned during the decade between 2010 and 2019. The results are encouraging but far from the targets that the agency has set for itself. "Thousands of Interpol requests are being issued on the request of big countries, while our requests are in the hundreds. We are moving forward and we have to further improve our processes to ensure that fugitives are not able to find safe havens anywhere," an official said.
The Print
20-07-2025
- The Print
CBI-backed Interpol Red Notices doubled since 2023 with India's diplomatic, tech push
Since 2023, the number of Red Notices issued on India's request spiralled with remarkable alacrity — 100 notices in 2023, 107 in 2024 and 56 in the first six months of 2025, the latest data seen by the PTI shows. The Lyon-based International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) had issued 25 Red Notices in 2020, 47 in 2021 and 40 in 2022. New Delhi, Jul 20 (PTI) Interpol's Red Notices issued at the CBI's request have more than doubled annually since 2023, showing a paradigmatic shift in the country's pursuit of fugitives by building on the deliberations during the hosting of the Interpol General Assembly and G20 summit as well as by embracing technological sophistication, officials said Sunday. The Interpol traditionally issued eight coloured notices for different purposes to 195 member countries, alerting them on a request from a country. It has added a ninth one — Silver Notice — on a pilot basis this year, in which India is also a participant, to track illicit assets parked abroad. A Red Notice (RCN), the most important one to track a fugitive, is a request issued by Interpol to law enforcement worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition, surrender or similar legal action. It is the first crucial step in pursuing the extradition of a fugitive who escaped to a different country to evade the law. All state and central agencies submit their request for Interpol Notices to the CBI, which is the nodal agency for India for all Interpol matters. The CBI then makes the requests for the Notices to Interpol and coordinates with the intergovernmental organisation in follow-up. 'It is only after an RCN is issued that a fugitive can be located abroad. Once the alleged criminal is located, diplomacy and law enforcement work in tandem to secure the extradition or deportation,' an official in the know of the process said. The uptick was not only visible in terms of Red Notices issued on India's request, but also in other colour-coded Notices as well. The Blue Notices, through which a country seeks information about a person, have gone up from 47 in 2020 to 68 in 2024 and 86 till now in 2025; Yellow notices, used for seeking details of abductions, disappearances or identity issues, have gone up from one in 2020 to 27 in 2024 and four in 2025 (till now). In total, 145 Interpol Notices have been issued in 2025 till now, as compared to 73 issued in 2020. Last year, 208 Notices were issued by the Interpol, the data shows. The increase in the number of Notices by Interpol at India's request can be attributed to a confluence of deft diplomacy, institutional assertiveness and technological modernisation, besides the meticulously hosted Interpol General Assembly in November 2022, followed by the G20 Summit in 2023, officials said. On a special request from India, the Interpol General Assembly was held in 2022 here to coincide with the 75th Anniversary of Indian Independence, 25 years after the global confluence of police chiefs was held here in 1997. Normally, each of the 195 member countries gets a chance to hold the annual event on a rotation basis. The Assembly served as both a symbol and a catalyst, deepening the agency's operational rapport with Interpol's General Secretariat in Lyon, they said. The G20 Summit held in 2023 further burnished India's image at the international level. Ostensibly an economic conclave of 20 big countries and regions, the event enabled ancillary security collaborations, lubricating internal legal cooperation and consensus on extradition of fugitives. In both events, India made a strong argument in favour of the extradition of fugitives wanted by a country and the denial of 'safe havens' to criminals. The CBI, which is the National Central Bureau of India, also took a leap in terms of digital sophistication, employing advanced data analytics, digitised dossiers, AI-powered profiling and seamless integration with Interpol's I-24/7 network. In 2023, the CBI top brass emphasised on making Interpol engagement seamless and cutting down on the processing time of requests coming from state police, besides building on the negotiations during the General Assembly and G20. The agency developed an in-house portal, Bharatpol, operationalised in January, which made the process of RCN — historically mired in paperwork and procedural torpor — frictionless and cut down the time from an average of six months to three months. The results translated in terms of extradition as well, with the CBI coordinating closely with Interpol, as well as state and central enforcement agencies, to secure the extradition or deportation of 134 fugitives since 2020. Of these, 23 were brought back this year alone. In contrast, only 74 fugitives were returned during the decade between 2010 and 2019. The results are encouraging but far from the targets that the agency has set for itself. 'Thousands of Interpol requests are being issued on the request of big countries, while our requests are in the hundreds. We are moving forward and we have to further improve our processes to ensure that fugitives are not able to find safe havens anywhere,' an official said. PTI ABS RT This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
