INTERPOL RED NOTICE – INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION

INTERPOL RED NOTICE – INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION

NEWS: Bangladesh’s interim government announced plans to seek Interpol's assistance to repatriate Sheikh Hasina, former Prime Minister, and other fugitives for alleged crimes against humanity.

  • Interpol’s support is required to locate and facilitate legal proceedings against these individuals.

WHAT’S IN THE NEWS?

Key Functions and Notices of Interpol

1. Interpol Notices

  • International requests for cooperation, issued by member countries or global entities like the UN.
  • Types of notices and their purposes:
    • Red Notice: Locating/arresting a person for extradition.
    • Green Notice: Warning about individuals posing public safety threats.
    • Blue Notice: Obtaining information or locating persons of interest.
    • Yellow Notice: Locating missing individuals or identifying those unable to identify themselves.
    • Black Notice: Seeking details about unidentified bodies.
    • Orange Notice: Warning of imminent threats from individuals, events, or objects.
    • Purple Notice: Sharing information about criminal methods or practices.
    • UNSC Special Notice: Informing about entities or individuals subject to UN sanctions.

Details of Red Notice

1. Purpose and Scope

  • Requests international law enforcement to locate/arrest individuals pending extradition or legal action.
  • Not equivalent to an international arrest warrant; subject to each country's laws.

  • 2. Legal Basis and Content

    • Based on arrest warrants or court orders from requesting countries.
    • Contains:
      • Personal identification details (name, DOB, nationality, physical attributes, biometric data).
      • Nature of crimes committed.

    3. Issuance and Compliance

    • Published at the request of a member country after judicial cognizance of charges.
    • Must adhere to Interpol's rules, reviewed by a specialized task force.
    • Enforcement depends on national laws; Interpol cannot compel arrests.

    What is Interpol?

    1. Overview

    • Founded in 1923 as the International Criminal Police Organization.
    • An inter-governmental body with 196 member countries to coordinate international policing efforts.
    • Headquarters in Lyon, France, with offices in Singapore and regional locations.

    2. Core Functions

    • Enables sharing/accessing data on crimes and criminals.
    • Provides operational support, including forensics, analysis, and fugitive tracking.
    • Manages 19 real-time police databases (e.g., names, fingerprints, stolen passports).

    3. Organizational Structure

    • General Secretariat: Oversees day-to-day operations, headed by the Secretary-General (Valdecy Urquiza, Brazil).
    • General Assembly: Governing body, convening annually with member countries for decisions.
    • National Central Bureau (NCB): Central contact point in each member country for coordination
    • In India, the NCB is under the Home Ministry, with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) designated as the official Interpol liaison.

    Relevance and Limitations

    • Interpol’s Role: Facilitates international collaboration but cannot enforce arrests or extraditions directly.
    • Bangladesh's Context: Seeks to leverage Interpol mechanisms for judicial accountability of fugitives, exemplifying the reliance on international law enforcement cooperation.