United Kingdom

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/9997729

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A coalition of Hong Kong Watch Patrons in the UK and Canada have written to their respective governments – Dame Angela Eagle, UK Minister of State for Security, and the Honorable Gary Anandasangaree, Minister of Public Safety Canada – urging them to use the INTERPOL General Assembly in Hong Kong this November to demand transparency from INTERPOL and coordinate with allied nations.

Both letters highlight troubling trends in the misuse of Red Notices, including a 26 percent rise in Red Notices in 2025 and evidence that dissidents are targeted by China-issued requests, in contravention of Article 3 of INTERPOL’s Constitution, which bars politically motivated notices.

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Both letters also point to Britain’s recent conviction of two men for spying on UK-based Hong Kong pro-democracy activists from within the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (HKETO) in London. These activists had already been subject to HK$1 million (£100,000) bounties, with INTERPOL offering no assurance it has not received Red Notice requests against them since their imposition in 2023.

The Canadian letter adds a local concern: the RCMP’s undisclosed policing Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with China’s Ministry of Public Security, and the presence of HKETOs in Toronto and Vancouver.

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Here is the letter to the UK government (pdf) and the letter to the Canadian government (pdf).

Both letters call on their governments to:

• Press INTERPOL to publish data on rejected Red Notices by requesting state;

• Push for a clear, auditable process for screening politically motivated requests;

• Secure public assurance that Red Notices will not target recognised victims of transnational repression;

• Coordinate this ask with Five Eyes and G7 partners ahead of the General Assembly.

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