Fair Trials International: Belarus uses Interprol for repressions

Belarusian authorities constantly use Interpol possibilities and channels for persecuting political opponents.

Alex Tinsley, a legal consultant of a London-based NGO Fair Trials International, stated that in an interview to the Russian branch of Radio Svaboda. The organization provides legal support to people, deprived of the right of legal protection in their countries. The representative of the organization gave the examples of Interpol mechanisms being used by authoritarian governments for persecuting opposition activists abroad.

"This is a global problem. We know of a case with a Venezuelan journalist, who dealt with the topic of the fight against corruption, who had to struggle for two years to be excluded from the ‘red list’, despite having had long obtained a refugee status in the United States. Another example is Belarus, which constantly tries to use Interpol for persecuting opposition. This is exactly how the arrest of one of 2010 presidential candidates Ales Michalevic, who opposed Lukashenka, was organized. Interpol then actually refused to put him on the ‘red list’, however Belarus still could use this organization’s channels for spreading information on Michalevic in other countries. As the result, he was arrested in Poland, despite having a refugee status in Czech Republic. Polish authorities had to apologize for that afterwards. This is actually a global problem, there are similar cases with Iran, Turkey and many other countries", - Alex Tinsley claimed.

Opposition activists as well as human rights defenders stated earlier that Interpol covers for the Belarusian authorities. In an interview to the charter97.org web-site Aleh Vouchak reminded that in 2010 and expert of the international organization confirmed Mikalaj Autukhovich’s guilt of preparing a terroristic act. These conclusions were later disproved even by a Belarusian court.

Ales Michalevic also spoke of the cooperation between official Minsk and Interpol. "Belarus fulfills its obligations on such issues as preventing illegal migration and drug smuggling, and it satisfies Interpol. And officials of such institutes as Interpol are the least interested in human rights", - the politician stated.

In August last year a Bundestag member Mariluisa Beck accused Interpol of conspiring with Lukashenka.