Red notice is not an arrest warrant, cannot compel country to arrest: Interpol Head Jurgen Stock

New Delhi: During the 90th meeting of the Interpol General Assembly in Delhi on Monday, Interpol Secretary General Jurgen Stock said that the organisation has a limited role in arresting any person subjected to red notice and cannot compel any member country to arrest an individual on its basis.

"A Red Notice is not an international arrest warrant, and INTERPOL cannot force any member country to arrest an individual who is the subject of a Red Notice," Jurgen Stock said. Interpol now says it can't force any member nation to arrest the two who are wanted in case of murders, organized crime, and terrorism.

"It is not for INTERPOL to judge the merit of a case or a decision taken by national courts - that is a sovereign matter. Our role is to assess if a request for a Red Notice is in line with our Constitution and Rules," Interpol Secretary General said.
However, Interpol clarified why the organisation has not issued 'Red Notices' against a crime related to religion or military.

"This means that we cannot accept a request if, for example, it is political, military, religious or racial in character, or is not in accordance with our Rules on the Processing of Data," Jurgen Stock said.

"While we understand that the decision not to publish a Red Notice may not be welcomed by a member country, part of the power of Red Notices is in the trust of our membership that we implement the same rules when assessing any request from every country," he added.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the 90th Interpol General Assembly on Tuesday, which will be attended by delegations from 195 member countries, including ministers, police chiefs of countries, national central bureau chiefs, and senior police officers. There will be a general meeting from October 18-21.(ANI)