Senator Ben Sasse (R., Neb.) is demanding that Attorney General Merrick Garland and Secretary of State Antony Blinken take action to expel Russia from Interpol, an international agency providing for cooperation between law enforcement in 195 countries around the world.
While the Biden administration has joined other Western allies, including the other members of the “Five Eyes” intelligence-sharing alliance, in calling for Russia’s suspension from Interpol as a response to Russia’s invasion of Ukaine, the agency has declined to deny Russia access to its databases, citing its commitment to “neutrality.” Instead, it has pledged to implement “heightened supervision and monitoring measures in relation to Russia.”
In a letter addressed to Garland and Blinken, and obtained by National Review, Sasse calls this “a small step in the right direction,” but derides it as insufficient “to protect Interpol against potential abuses by the Russian government or to ensure that Russia does not exploit Interpol’s intelligence sharing function to further harm the people of Ukraine.”
As evidence, Sasse cites Russia and China’s use of Interpol for purposes of suppressing domestic political opponents. A Safeguard Defenders report made public last fall indicated that China’s abuse of the agency has led to the “prolonged detention and arbitrary arrest on the basis of Red Notices of activists and persecuted ethnic or religious minorities abroad; harassment and intimidation of political dissidents; improper use of Interpol notices to induce “fugitives” to return “voluntarily”; and the wider intimidation and harassment of communities within China.”
Other reports have indicated that Russia also used Interpol to target President Vladimir Putin’s political opponents. According to the Atlantic, financier and outspoken Putin critic Bill Browder had the agency used against him six separate times as of 2018.
Sasse argues that “removing Russia from Interpol should be a top priority,” before asking Garland and Blinken to answer a series of questions and develop strategies for bringing about Russia’s removal.
Specifically, Sasse asks what steps they have taken to make good upon “the Attorney General‘s call to remove Russia from Interpol,” what steps “the DOJ and State taken to substantiate the security and safety concerns that Russia poses by its participation in Interpol,” and whether the Biden administration has been acting in concert with the other Five Eyes members to expel Russia.
The senator asks that these and other related questions about the administration’s efforts be answered within 21 days.
“Now is the time for freedom-loving countries committed to the rule of law to act and ensure Vladimir Putin has no longer has a voice, vote, and influence in international law enforcement organizations,” said Sasse.