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Alexander Prokopchuk, a major general of the Russian Ministry of the Interior, is currently one of Interpol's vice presidents. (Document / Reuters)
Carol Morello
National Rapporteur on Foreign Policy and Department of State
Several countries have expressed concern that Interpol may elect a Russian leader of his party despite criticism that Moscow has used the international police agency to punish its political opponents.
Police chiefs gathered in Dubai are expected to vote Wednesday on the successor to Meng Hongwei, who disappeared in China in September. Chinese officials, who admitted to arresting him, then announced that Meng had resigned after being accused of accepting bribes.
The United States "strongly supports" the South Korean candidate to replace Meng, said Tuesday the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. The main candidate for this post is Alexander Prokopchuk, General of the Russian Ministry of the Interior and Vice President of Interpol.
The possibility of a Russian rise to the Interpol presidency has sounded the alarm in capitals such as Washington and London. The agency is a clearinghouse for national police services that prosecute suspects outside their borders.
In the past, Russia and other countries have been accused of abusing the "Red Notice" alert on alleged political enemies, resulting in their being arrested at airports and detained.
The best-known example is Bill Browder, a UK financier and critic of the US-born Kremlin. Browder lobbied Congress to adopt the Magnitsky Law, named after Browder's Russian lawyer and friend Sergei Magnitsky, who had accused the Russian government of tax evasion and died in prison in 2009. He is vowed to avenge his death. Since then, he has been arrested at least seven times in many countries while Interpol sought to verify the arrest warrants issued by Russia.
Only this week, the Russian authorities opened a new criminal investigation into Browder, accusing him of involvement in Magnitsky's death.
[Browder: The world can’t let Russia run Interpol. My experiences show why.]
Prokopchuk is well known within Interpol and considered a professional. It would have the support of many countries that are not generally allies of Russia. The South Korean candidate, Kim Jong-yang, is currently acting president, but he is not as well known as Prokopchuk.
In recent days, the State Department has made representations to embassies and consulates, according to people familiar with the diplomatic notes used to persuade and inform foreign governments.
"Without going into details, we would note that there is more than one candidate for this position and that we are actively working with Interpol member states to highlight the need to elect a person who will promote, instead of to undermine the values and practices of Interpol, a vital international body, "said an official who requested on condition of anonymity to be more forthright about behind-the-scenes lobbying.
Four US senators on Monday issued a statement in which they compared Prokopchuk's selection to "entrust a fox to the responsibility of a henhouse" and urged police chiefs of the 192 member countries to reject him.
"Russia regularly abuses Interpol in order to settle accounts and harass political opponents, dissidents and journalists," said the statement, signed by Senators Jeanne Shaheen (DN.H.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) And Christopher A. Coons (D-Del.) And Marco Rubio (R-Fla.). "Alexander Prokopchuk has been personally involved in this intimidation strategy that aims to weaken democratic institutions and strengthen Putin's authoritarian regime."
Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, issued a statement calling the senators' letter an example of "interference in the electoral process" at Interpol. The phrasing seemed to be a slap for US officials and lawmakers who believe that Russia intervened in the 2016 presidential election.
As the vote for the new leader approached, opposition around the world grew.
The Lithuanian Parliament has adopted a resolution proposing that the country consider withdrawing from Interpol if Prokopchuk wins it. Britain has also endorsed the South Korean candidate, expressing his concerns not about Prokopchuk, but about the government he is working for.
"To honor Magnitsky, do not let a Russian MVD official take the lead of Interpol," tweeted Michael McFaul, a former US ambassador to Moscow who was harassed and harassed several times during his tenure.
"This is not good for either Interpol or the world," he added.
Browder tweeted that "Putin is about to take control" "forces of order" in the world "and said that the agency would become" a branch of the Russian mafia ".
"I can not imagine a person more inappropriate than someone who was the architect of the abuse committed by Russia to Interpol for me," said Browder at a conference in London. "There is probably no more inappropriate person than this person, and there is no country more inappropriate to have any management position at Interpol than Russia."
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