At Red Notice Monitor, we have long argued that Interpol’s Red Notice system, whilst far from perfect, represents an essential tool in combating international and transnational crime. However, we have equally emphasised that this global reach is precisely what makes the tool so attractive to those who would seek to manipulate international organisations for their own ends and to target opponents and others overseas. This balance between legitimate law enforcement cooperation and abuse has now received attention at the highest levels of international diplomacy.
On 17 June 2025, the G7 issued a comprehensive statement expressing deep concern about growing reports of transnational repression. The leaders described TNR as
an aggressive form of foreign interference whereby states or their proxies attempt to intimidate, harass, harm or coerce individuals or communities outside their borders.
This statement represents an acknowledgement of the concerns we have raised about the potential for misuse of international cooperation mechanisms, particularly within the Interpol system.
Perhaps most significantly for our work monitoring Interpol abuse, the G7 specifically condemned all acts of TNR, including the
misuse of cooperation with other foreign states, international bodies, and intergovernmental organizations, in order to detain, forcibly return, or repress targets, such as leveraging extraterritorial law application and counterterrorism and investigative tools.
This language directly mirrors the concerns we have repeatedly highlighted regarding the weaponisation of Interpol’s systems by authoritarian regimes seeking to pursue dissidents, journalists, and political opponents across international borders.
The G7’s recognition that TNR “undermines national security, state sovereignty, the safety and human rights of victims, and principles of international law” resonates with our documentation of how abusive Red Notices create these problems. When countries manipulate Interpol systems to target political opponents, they not only violate the rights of individuals but also compromise the integrity of the international law enforcement cooperation that legitimate investigations depend upon.
The statement’s acknowledgement that TNR
often impacts dissidents, journalists, human rights defenders, religious minorities, and those identified as part of diaspora communities
mirrors the patterns we have observed in our case work. Time and again, we have seen how Red Notices are issued not for genuine criminal matters, but as tools of political persecution against these exact vulnerable groups.
For those of us working to expose and combat the misuse of Interpol systems, this high-level recognition represents a crucial validation of our concerns and a potential turning point in international efforts to address these abuses. The G7’s explicit condemnation of the misuse of international bodies provides important political cover for continued advocacy and reform efforts within organisations like Interpol.
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