Who is targeting Ahmed Nasser al-Raisi?

A complaint for "torture" and "arbitrary detention" has been filed in Austria against the Emirati president of Interpol, Ahmed Nasser al-Raisi, who is expected in Vienna for the general assembly of the international police organization, announced the lawyer for two Britons.

"We hope that the Austrian authorities will investigate these serious allegations," said Mr. Rodney Dixon, quoted in a statement.

The procedure is based on "universal jurisdiction," a principle that allows authorities to prosecute if the suspect travels to the country.

A spokeswoman for the Vienna prosecutor's office confirmed that they have received the complaint and said they are "studying it," especially in light of "Austria's jurisdiction."

Matthew Hedges, a researcher, and Ali Issa Ahmad, a security officer, were both arrested in the United Arab Emirates in 2018 and 2019, respectively.

The first, a teacher at the University of Exeter (southwest England), had told AFP last year that he was arrested after a study trip.

He reported seven "terrifying" months of mostly solitary confinement, with "threats of violence" to make him confess to alleged affiliation with British intelligence.

After a forced confession, he was sentenced to life in prison for espionage in November 2018, then pardoned less than a week later under international pressure.

The second, a football fan, claims to have been arrested for wearing a jersey supporting Qatar, then at odds with the United Arab Emirates, during the Asian Cup. He said he was punched and stabbed during his roughly three weeks of detention.

Both believe that as the inspector general of the Ministry of Interior, Mr. Raisi bears responsibility for their fate.

France, where Interpol's headquarters are located, has also opened an investigation against him for "complicity in torture" in March 2022.

The complainants have also initiated criminal proceedings in Norway, Sweden, and Turkey.

When contacted, the UAE embassy in Vienna did not respond immediately.

Ahmed Nasser al-Raisi was elected head of Interpol in November 2021, a mainly ceremonial position, despite protests from human rights organizations.

The complaint filed on Monday also includes the case of Ahmed Jaafar Mohamed Ali, a "dissident" from Bahrain detained since January 2022. 

Convicted of "terrorism-related offenses," he was arrested in Serbia where he had applied for asylum, under an Interpol red notice, before being extradited to the Gulf kingdom.

"Interpol is not involved in the extradition procedure," reacted Secretary-General Jürgen Stock at a press conference on the eve of the opening of the general assembly.

"Our role is to publish alerts on behalf of our member states," he explained, while saying he had set up a team to verify the compliance of these controversial notices upon his arrival.