By Michelle Estlund on Posted in INTERPOL's Infrastructure,INTERPOL's Tools and Practices,Red Notice ChallengesA reader recently sent in this question: “hi, I am looking to assist a friend who is on an interpol red alert. We wish to challenge the notice and have no idea how to gather the evidence allegedly supporting the notice . any suggestions ?” Any experienced, practicing attorney will likely understand why this question… Continue Reading
By Michelle Estlund on Posted in Member Country Activity,Politically Based Red Notices,Red Notice ChallengesA Turkish court has requested a Red Notice against reporter Can Dündar, the former chief editor of the Turkish newspaper Cumhuriyet. Authorities charged him with espionage in 2016, alleging that he disclosed state secrets in the course of his reporting. As reported here, the Committee to Protect Journalists (“CPJ”) has criticized Turkey’s request as being politically motivated,… Continue Reading
By Michelle Estlund on Posted in INTERPOL's Tools and Practices,Red Notice Challenges,UncategorizedIn the last post, we began a discussion on the issue of confidentiality in requests for Red Notice removals to the CCF. When a Red Notice subject requests removal of a Red Notice, he is obliged to explain to the CCF why he is entitled to relief, and that explanation often involves reference to illegal… Continue Reading
By Michelle Estlund on Posted in INTERPOL's Tools and Practices,Red Notice ChallengesA reader recently contacted Red Notice Law Journal to inquire about INTERPOL’s role in child kidnapping cases. This question is unfortunately more common than one might imagine, and is likely to become more so as we continue to evolve into a more and more transient world. INTERPOL’s involvement in child kidnapping, or abduction, cases, primarily… Continue Reading
By Michelle Estlund on Posted in Collateral Effects of Red Notices,INTERPOL's Tools and Practices,Red Notice ChallengesIn this series, Red Notice Law Journal addresses the changes created by the newly enacted CCF statute. Many of the changes are reflective of those requested by INTERPOL practitioners and by human rights organizations in the last several years. For example, Fair Trials International provided input that was instrumental in advocating for INTERPOL reform, and many… Continue Reading
By Michelle Estlund on Posted in INTERPOL's Tools and Practices,Red Notice Challenges,UncategorizedLast November, at the annual meeting held under the direction of INTERPOL’s newest Secretary General, Jürgen Stock, the organization adopted new rules to be applied to its quasi-appellate body, the Commission for the Control of INTERPOL’s Files (“CCF”). This change marks the first time since 2012 that INTERPOL and the CCF have undergone such a substantive… Continue Reading
By Michelle Estlund on Posted in INTERPOL's Tools and Practices,Member Country Activity,Red Notice ChallengesAs the year begins, and changes appear to be coming to both INTERPOL and the CCF,* Red Notice Law Journal reviews some highlights from the CCF’s activity in 2016. Second case study: Americas-based client with Red Notice from north African country In this case, our client had visited a country in the north of Africa… Continue Reading
By Michelle Estlund on Posted in Member Country Activity,Red Notice Challenges,UncategorizedOne of my favorite adages is one that defense attorneys use in closing arguments when the government’s case contains some evidence of guilt, and some evidence of illegal police conduct: If a waiter in a restaurant brings you soup with a cockroach in it, you don’t eat around the cockroach- you send the whole bowl… Continue Reading
By Michelle Estlund on Posted in INTERPOL's Tools and Practices,Red Notice Challenges,UncategorizedGiven the fact that I have done my share of complaining about the Commission for the Control of INTERPOL’s Files demonstrating a lack of transparency and the need for more disclosure about its decision-making process, it is only fair that credit be given when the CCF does show progress on those fronts. In a decision that my… Continue Reading
By Michelle Estlund on Posted in INTERPOL's Tools and Practices,Red Notice ChallengesIn the last post, I addressed the fact that it seems that some of the CCF’s decisions are being issued more quickly than they have been issued in the past. The CCF’s 2014 Annual Report sheds some light on the Commission’s current approach to its ever-increasing caseload: A continuing increase in the workload of the… Continue Reading
By Michelle Estlund on Posted in INTERPOL's Tools and Practices,Red Notice ChallengesSome of the best advice I ever received was from a professor who told my law school class to “knock off the legal mumbo-jumbo” and just speak plainly, so people can understand you. When lawyers speak in legal-ese or in industry terms, the only people who really understand them are other lawyers, and other people… Continue Reading
By Michelle Estlund on Posted in INTERPOL's Tools and Practices,Member Country Activity,Red Notice ChallengesI recently received an inquiry from a reader who posed perhaps the most common question that arises from people who have submitted inquiries to INTERPOL’s CCF: My mother-in-law has been a red notice subject, because her company in UAE could not repay a commercial loan and her partners escaped. So, she is the only one… Continue Reading
By Michelle Estlund on Posted in INTERPOL's Tools and Practices,Member Country Activity,Red Notice ChallengesUnless you’ve been living under a rock, you probably know that FIFA has been dealing with a scandal lately: the U.S. government has charged multiple individuals with ties to FIFA with expansive criminal violations, and INTERPOL has issued Red Notices for six of those people. FIFA and INTERPOL have had extensive dealings with one another… Continue Reading
By Michelle Estlund on Posted in INTERPOL's Tools and Practices,Red Notice ChallengesA reader recently sent in the following question: I wanted to know how long is a red alert in effect? I mean, when does it expires? I heard it was 6 months, but I haven’t found the legal basis. Can you help me please? This question arises with some frequency, and with reason. INTERPOL’s member… Continue Reading
