Paris, (Europe Brief News), Interpol’s new chief, United Arab Emirates (UAE) national Maj. Gen. Ahmed Nasser al-Raisi, has had a torture claim filed against him in France.
The torture lawsuit came as he makes his first official visit to the headquarters of the organisation in Lyon.
Attorney William Bourdon filed the claim on Tuesday on behalf of the Emirati national Ahmed Mansour.
Mansoor is serving a 10-year sentence in the UAE. He faces freedom of expression charges, including “insulting the status and prestige of the UAE” and its leaders.
Al-Raisi was under fire since his election in November 2021 for a four-year term over his government’s record of human rights abuses.
Al-Raisi already faces criminal complaints in five countries, including accusations of torturing two Britons.
A British doctoral student accused of spying in 2018 said he was abused when visiting the UAE in 2019.
Last September, the European Union (EU) legislators have passed a strongly worded resolution concerning the poor human rights record in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The resolution condemned alleged rights violations in the wealthy Gulf stat. It further demanded the “immediate” and unconditional release of Ahmed Mansoor, Mohammed al-Roken and Nasser bin Ghaith.
The EU Parliament also called on the European External Action Service (EEAS) to propose the adoption of EU targeted measures against those responsible for grave human rights violations in the UAE.
The European Parliament further urged the UAE to free several prominent human rights activists and other imprisoned “peaceful dissidents”.
