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14 January 2026

Rhys Davies writes for Solicitors Journal | Interpol Red Notices and Transnational Repression

On 14 January 2026, Red Notice Monitor Editor Rhys Davies publishes a piece in Solicitors Journal on how authoritarian states exploit Interpol Red Notices as a tool of transnational repression, and the remedies available to those who find themselves targeted.

Rhys Davies

The article was first published in Solicitors Journal and can be read here. 

In his article, Rhys Davies explains that while Red Notices serve a legitimate law enforcement purpose, the system remains vulnerable to abuse. He examines the remedies available to those targeted, including applications to Interpol’s Commission for the Control of Files (CCF), and addresses questions about Interpol’s institutional accountability following the adoption of the General Agreement on the Privileges and Immunities of Interpol at the November 2025 General Assembly.

Rhys writes:

Interpol’s Red Notice system is not going away — nor should it. When used properly, it is a vital tool in the fight against serious cross-border crime.

But the scope for abuse is real, and for those caught in the crosshairs, the consequences can be devastating. Transnational repression takes many forms, and the misuse of Interpol’s systems is among its most insidious: it cloaks political persecution in the language of law enforcement.

The article can be read in full here.

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Image: Shutterstock

About the Author

Rhys Davies
Rhys Davies Barrister

Rhys Davies is a co-founder of IHR Advisors and an internationally recognised lawyer specialising in INTERPOL Red Notice challenges, international criminal law and international human rights law. He is the co-author of Interpol, Law and Practice (Sweet & Maxwell, 2026). He is co-editor of Red Notice Monitor, the leading public resource on INTERPOL Red Notice abuse and the practice of INTERPOL’s Commission for the Control of Files.

Rhys co-authored the report Undue Influence: the UAE and INTERPOL with Sir David Calvert-Smith, examining the systemic misuse of INTERPOL’s Notice and Diffusion systems by the United Arab Emirates and the implications for INTERPOL’s governance. He represents clients in INTERPOL Red Notice challenges before the Commission for the Control of Files, with particular focus on cases involving Middle Eastern and Central Asian states, and on the position of refugees, journalists and political dissidents targeted through INTERPOL by their states of origin.

Rhys has significant experience of in-country legal advice and assistance, most recently in the West Bank, and a specific interest in the Middle East. He is a member of the List of Counsel for the International Criminal Court, the Kosovo Specialist Chambers, and the Special Tribunal for Lebanon. He regularly speaks at, and chairs, events at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva and at the House of Commons on matters of international law.

Rhys is the author of numerous articles on INTERPOL Red Notice practice and on justice in the Middle East, and is in demand as a commentator on international human rights. He provides legal commentary to national and international media including The Times, the Guardian, the Independent, the Financial Times, CBS 60 Minutes, Sky News, City AM and Al Jazeera.

Rhys is recommended as a leading individual in The Legal 500. He practises from Temple Garden Chambers in London and The Hague.

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