The process for seeking relief from an improperly issued Red Notice currently requires that the request be reviewed by the Commission for the Control of INTERPOL’s Files.  The Commission is made up of five individuals from specific professional backgrounds who, for the purposes of their assignments, act solely in the interest of INTERPOL and without regard for their individual country allegiances. The Commission members are assigned temporarily to terms of service, and they are supported by staff members.

in the last few years, as we’ve discussed here previously, the number of Red Notices has increased exponentially.  The number of yearly meetings for the Commission, however, has remained the same.  The Commission is still required by INTERPOL’s governing rules to meet three times per year, despite the fact that the Commission’s workload has greatly grown significantly.

The Commission has an incredibly time-consuming task.  While staff members can certainly provide competent and specialized support for Commission members, it must be acknowledged that we have reached the point where thrice-yearly meetings simply are not enough for part-time Commissioners to become properly advised about individual requests and make carefully considered decisions about them.  

When INTERPOL’s new rules become effective in July of this year, many of the old operating rules will have been abrogated.  The new rules are much more streamlined, organized, and intuitive. The Operating Rules of the Commission on the Control of INTERPOL’s Files, however, will remain in effect.  

Too bad.  This was the perfect opportunity to amend those rules as well, and create a full-time Commission.  There does remain another option- more on that in the next post.

As always, thoughts and comments are welcomed.