Interpol, immune to U.S. jurisdiction, has introduced a controversial new service - Silver Notices. Member countries can now access information on individuals' global assets without a charge, conviction or legal process.
Interpol's new service, Silver Notices, allows fee-paying member countries to access information on individuals' global assets, bypassing normal legal processes. Critics argue this service undermines due process and human rights. A charge or conviction is not required to activate a Silver Notice. The Notice will alert and request other member countries to investigate and provide information on an individual’s assets, bank accounts and even their residential homes. An Interpol expert says the move is a financially motivated deal with member countries.
“A new Interpol service has been introduced this month which will allow the global surveillance of individuals without due process”, says renowned Interpol and Extradition expert Radha Stirling, the founder of IPEX (Interpol and Extradition) Reform and Due Process International.
Italy has been the first country to issue a Silver Notice but the other member countries will follow suit in droves. Stirling says Silver Notices are a “product” offering from Interpol to member states. “Interpol is under constant pressure to raise money and they need to make themselves a profit centre to donors, not a cost centre. They have opened the door for member states to be able to monetize their use of Interpol by freezing and seizing assets. All of these products are offered under a complete immunity blanket provided by the USA but victims of abuse need to be able to seek justice”, says Stirling.
“This is another foot in the door of a global surveillance agenda”, asserts Stirling. “It is totally unacceptable for any member country to be able to find out someone’s location with such ease and international cooperation. This will put lives in danger and is a backdoor way to obtain information that would have been impossible or slow to obtain through usual legal methods”.
Lives in Danger
“Countries with a long history of issuing politically motivated Red Notices that have endangered lives will now have the opportunity to know exactly where their targets live and where they spend their time. This is a method to circumvent normal due process and enhance international cooperation behind closed doors. Dissidents and political targets will be put at risk as their whereabouts are discovered.
Asset Seizures and Freezes
“We can expect to see more foreign asset freezing without any oversight. Any country can point the finger and they will be able to locate and request freezing orders against targets on the basis of an ‘investigation’, not even a charge or conviction. This is outrageous and should raise significant concern amongst the international community, particularly those who may have political targets on their heads.
Privacy
“The new product opens doors to violation of privacy and espionage by despotic governments who target the enemy of the day. I call it a product because that’s what it is. Interpol is selling their services as an international recovery agent at the expense and possibly the lives of individuals.
“If governments can discover private overseas information through diplomatic agreements rather than legal process, anyone of interest can be targeted. Interpol requires no proof, relying on the honesty of the member countries which has been proven time and time again to have violated international law and UN principles.
Reputational & Business Damage
“There is zero accountability to Interpol for wrongful and abusive notices, no matter the damage. Issuing a Silver Notice will likely cause banks to end relationships with customers and result in unimaginable damage to their business and relationships. This has happened to be as a result of Red Notices and will undoubtedly happen with a Silver Notice.”
Perception
“The idea of a Silver Notice will raise less concern for the victim. It will be perceived by the community as about their assets, not about them and if they’re innocent, it will sort out. However, the ability to misuse these notices and the potential ramifications and damage this will cause individuals is inimaginable. A Silver Notice, for one, implies someone is being investigated for a serious crime that would warrant 4 years or more in prison.
“On top of the clear violation of privacy and due process, people may be denied entry into many countries, denied tourist entry visas or rejected when applying for a residency visa. They may not even know why.
“Their banks may terminate their facilities, blacklist them which in turn can ruin their businesses and livelihood then of course, there is the resulting reputational damage and trauma that comes with being targeted by the world’s largest surveillance operation. This is not something you ever want to have to explain to your family, colleagues or boss.
“Then of course you have people who are genuinely in danger and who should be afforded the right to safety and privacy”.
But aren’t they all criminals?
“I’ve personally dealt with hundreds of abusive Interpol warrants. Some have been politically motivated, others economically motivated or have stemmed from personal vendettas and others have been as ridiculous as a few thousand dollar credit card debt. In all of these cases, we have managed to delete the Interpol warrants because Interpol has agreed they should not have been listed in the first place. The fact that they have to delete notices and have been granted immunity, should suffice as evidence that they are doing something wrong.
UAE and Qatar Banks
“For over 17 years, I’ve been helping clients who have become targets of Middle Eastern banks, mostly UAE and Qatar. They have listed customers on Interpol and waited for them to be arrested abroad which they’ve seen as the perfect time to demand extortionate sums of money that weren’t even owed. They’ve used Interpol as their own debt collectors and they will be first in line to initiate Silver Notices to accompany Red.
“I’ve helped people mitigate these risks as much as possible through bank negotiations, Interpol prevention submissions and Interpol deletion when required. Often though, the bank customer is completely taken by surprise and we’ve had to fight off extradition proceedings for them. Brian Glendinning was held in horrendous conditions in Iraq on behalf of a bank. Interpol is something to be taken seriously and it seriously needs to be legally accountable”.
Personal Vendettas
“Whether it’s a civil dispute or a personal vendettas, we’ve seen people fabricate criminal allegations for the sole purpose of listing someone on Interpol. This gives the person time to misappropriate their company or assets through less than legal means or sometimes, it just satisfies their vengeance. This happens in the UAE all the time and we even see Sheikhs misusing it, simply because they can. The ruler of Ras Al Khaimah was nicknamed the King of Interpol.
Political Motivation
“There is no denying that Interpol has been used as a tool for politically motivated reasons. We saw Hakeem Alaraibi targeted by Bahrain and almost extradited. Just recently, Ulugbek Shadmanov was extradited without due process from the UAE to Uzbekistan over a politically and economically motivated Notice. We’re now preparing a UN application for him as he faces human rights abuses and torture. Sherif Osman, a US citizen, was arrested in Dubai over an Egyptian Notice for his online posts, made from America and he was saved just in the nick of time.
Prevention, Removal & Extradition Defence
“Preventing Interpol Red Notices is paramount and something we’ve helped our client’s focus on. Picking up the pieces of an Interpol Notice after the fact is always harder than preventing it in the first place. We advise people at risk to seek assistance as soon as possible. This January, we’ve already prepared preventative submissions on behalf of five at risk clients. People are becoming much more proactive since Interpol’s abusive tactics were spotlighted in the media. We hope preventions overtake removals and do the essential work of preventing extraditions for clients like Christopher Emms, Brian Glendinning, Sherif Osman and Conor Howard.
Accountability
“We have worked with think tanks, organisations and lawmakers in Washington DC to push for Interpol’s immunity to be stripped. Until this happens, Interpol will continue to profiteer from our tax dollars while putting citizens at risk of significant human rights violations without any recourse. Under the new administration, we will highlight this ongoing problem to DOGE and Trump’s new appointees.”
Interpol Red Notice Prevention | Interpol Red Notice
"Abuse of the Interpol system by countries around the world has been steadily increasing in recent years, with Gulf States leading the trend. Of particular concern are those countries which have positioned themselves as investment destinations for foreign business people, such as China and the BRICS nations."
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