Two Britons who say they were tortured in the United Arab Emirates call for arrest of Interpol chief

Two Britons who say they were tortured while ‘falsely detained’ in the United Arab Emirates have called for the Interpol president to be arrested while he is in Scotland this week.

Matthew Hedges and Ali Issa Ahmad both say they were tortured while arrested in the UAE in 2018 and 2019 respectively.

The two men have now filed a complaint with Police Scotland, calling for the arrest of Ahmed Naser Al-Raisi – the current president of the international police agency Interpol.

They say Mr Al-Raisi, who will chair a week-long conference in Glasgow, was involved in the torture they both claim they suffered while incarcerated.

Mr Ahmad, a dual Sudanese-British national, was reportedly attacked and jailed for wearing a Qatar football shirt when he visited Abu Dhabi in January 2019 to attend the Asian Cup match between Qatar and Iraq.

Mr Hedges was detained in Abu Dhabi between May and November 2018 and accused of spying for the British government. British diplomats, along with Mr Hedges and his family, have repeatedly denied the claim.

Their complaint is filed under universal jurisdiction, which allows states to arrest and prosecute those involved in torture on their territory, regardless of where the crimes were committed.

Speaking to the Mail, Mr Hedges urged Police Scotland to consider the consequences of not arresting Al-Raisi and ensure he did not receive ‘any special treatment’.

Mr Hedges said: ‘By Britain not actually helping people seek redress and accountability when there is clear evidence he is in the country, we are setting a precedent for organizations like Interpol to be abused.’

Mr Hedges and Mr Ahmad have both taken lengthy legal action to fight for justice and are now calling on Police Scotland to acknowledge Mr Al-Raisi’s role in enabling their alleged abuse.

The Interpol president is currently facing an investigation in France over allegations of torture and arbitrary detention, which he strongly denies.

The joint move by Mr Hedges and Mr Ahmad also follows discussions within the General Assembly to allow Mr al-Raisi to run for a second term as president through an amendment to the Interpol constitution.

Their call for Mr Al-Raisi’s arrest is the sixth of its kind, with others filed in Turkey, Sweden, Norway and France.

A spokesperson for Police Scotland said: ‘We have received correspondence and this will be responded to in due course.’

An Interpol spokesman said it was “a matter between the parties involved.”