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This blog addresses how to delete a Red Notice: process and challenges.
In the final instalment of our Back to Basics series, we address what may be the most urgent question for those affected: how to delete a Red Notice. This process, while established, can be opaque and challenging – making expert legal guidance often essential.
The primary mechanism for challenging a Red Notice involves submitting a request to the Commission for the Control of Interpol’s Files, commonly known as the CCF. This independent body is responsible for ensuring that Interpol’s data processing complies with its constitutional framework, particularly Article 3’s prohibition on political, military, religious, or racial activities. Individuals can request the CCF to review and delete Red Notices issued against them. However, this process is far from straightforward and lacks transparency at almost every stage.
The review process typically takes months, during which applicants may remain in custody or face severe travel restrictions. All decision-making occurs behind closed doors, with no public hearings or transparent procedures. While there is technically a right to make oral submissions to the CCF, this provision has yet to be utilised in practice. Most challenges proceed entirely through written submissions. There is no formal appeal process. The CCF’s decision is final. If your deletion request is refused, your only recourse is submitting further applications if circumstances change significantly.
Given these challenges, individuals facing Red Notices typically require specialised legal representation familiar with Interpol’s procedures and the CCF’s decision-making patterns. Leading Interpol lawyers such as Ben Keith and Rhys Davies have extensive experience navigating these complex processes. Successful challenges often depend on demonstrating violations of Interpol’s constitution, particularly politically motivated notices or those lacking a proper legal foundation. The opacity of this process underscores why understanding the fundamentals matters. Armed with knowledge of what Interpol is, what Red Notices represent, and how the deletion process works, individuals can better navigate this complex international system.
See Part 1 of Back to Basics – What is Interpol? here and Part 2 What is a Red Notice? here.
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Red Notice Monitor launches Back to Basics series to ensure our readers understand the essential elements of Interpol and Red Notices before dealing with the complexities.
Continuing our Back to Basics series, we turn to perhaps the most frequently misunderstood element of international policing: the Red Notice itself.
The study, published in June 2025, makes clear that transnational repression represents a direct assault on fundamental rights occurring on European soil.
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