Interpol elects United Arab Emirates official as president

ISTANBUL – Interpol connected Thursday elected a contentious authoritative from the United Arab Emirates arsenic its caller president during the planetary instrumentality enforcement body’s yearly General Assembly held successful Istanbul.

Maj. Gen. Ahmed Naser al-Raisi, inspector wide astatine the United Arab Emirates’ interior ministry, was elected for 1 four-year term, the planetary policing assemblage announced connected Twitter. He has been accused by quality rights groups of engagement successful torture and arbitrary detentions successful the UAE.

The ballot for president was being intimately watched since the first-ever Chinese president of the body, Meng Hongwei, vanished midway done his four-year word connected a instrumentality travel to China successful 2018. It subsequently emerged that helium had been detained, accused of bribery and different alleged crimes.

The planetary instrumentality enforcement assemblage besides said Valdecy Urquiza of Brazil was elected to the station of vice president for the Americas, portion Garba Baba Umar of Nigeria was elected vice president for Africa.

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Al-Raisi is accused of torture and has transgression complaints against him successful 5 countries, including successful France, wherever Interpol has its headquarters, and successful Turkey, wherever the predetermination is taking place.

Al-Raisi has tally a slick run for the statesmanlike post, traveling the satellite to conscionable lawmakers and authorities officials and boasting world degrees from the U.K. and the U.S. and years of acquisition of policing.

In a sentiment portion for the government-run paper successful Abu Dhabi, al-Raisi said helium wants to “modernize and transform” Interpol, drafting connected “the UAE’s relation arsenic a person successful tech-driven policing and a span builder successful the planetary community.”

Al-Raisi replaces Kim Jong Yan from South Korea, a vice president who was swiftly elected arsenic a replacement to service retired the remainder of Meng’s term. Kim’s presidency was owed to extremity successful 2020, but his tenure has been extended by a twelvemonth aft the coronavirus pandemic prompted Interpol to scrap its yearly assembly past year.

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Although Interpol’s secretary-general runs Interpol connected a day-to-day basis, the president plays a relation successful supervising the constabulary body’s enactment and guiding its wide wide direction. The president chairs Interpol’s wide assemblies and meetings of its Executive Committee.

The station of secretary-general is presently held by Juergen Stock of Germany.

About 470 constabulary chiefs, ministers and different representatives from much than 160 countries attended the three-day meeting. Each state attending has 1 vote.

On Tuesday, delegates voted to admit the Federated States of Micronesia, raising the fig of Interpol members to 195.

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