SANAD’s Statement on the Host State Agreement for an INTERPOL Regional Office in Riyadh

SANAD Human Rights Organization has followed with deep concern the official announcement from INTERPOL regarding the signing of a “host state agreement” with Saudi Arabia. The signing ceremony in Riyadh was attended by Saudi Interior Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud, INTERPOL President Ahmed Nasser Al-Raisi, and Secretary-General Jürgen Stock. We strongly condemn this agreement as it represents an expansion of cross-border repression and poses a significant and real threat to activists and human rights defenders, especially given the ongoing human rights violations within Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia has a documented history, as in the case of Osama Al-Hassani, of exploiting red notices and security cooperation mechanisms to target dissidents and critics abroad. This raises serious concerns that the new regional office may be used for political purposes that contradict INTERPOL’s constitutional principles of neutrality and respect for human rights. SANAD fears this agreement may provide a veneer of legitimacy for continued or expanded cross-border security pursuits against activists and innocent citizens.

According to the INTERPOL announcement, the idea of establishing the regional office was first proposed in 2016, approved at the General Assembly in Santiago in 2019, and the agreement was adopted by the Executive Committee in May 2024. However, SANAD stresses that this approach overlooks a crucial reality: Saudi Arabia’s justice system lacks proper legal and procedural safeguards such as judicial independence and freedom of expression. This environment risks allowing international police channels to be used for politically motivated crackdowns on freedoms and dissent, especially given the absence of effective local oversight to prevent abuses.

SANAD calls on INTERPOL to reconsider the establishment of the regional office in Saudi Arabia and to fully adhere to its constitutional principles, which prohibit politicization in international police cooperation. We stress the need for strict oversight measures to prevent the new office from being exploited to target dissenting voices and critics. In this context, SANAD urges the international community and human rights organizations to intensify pressure to protect human rights in Saudi Arabia and ensure that this office does not become a tool for cross-border repression or the pursuit of activists and reformers.