SANAD Human Rights Organization Warns of the Dangers of INTERPOL’s New Agreement with Saudi Arabia

SANAD Human Rights Organization has expressed grave concern over the official announcement from INTERPOL regarding the signing of a host state agreement with Saudi Arabia to open a regional office in Riyadh. In its statement, SANAD emphasized that this move poses a serious threat to activists and human rights defenders, especially given the ongoing human rights violations in Saudi Arabia.

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

The organization noted that Saudi Arabia has previously exploited international security cooperation mechanisms to arrest dissidents and target critical voices abroad, as was the case with detainee Osama Al-Hassani. SANAD fears that the new regional office could be used politically, in a manner contrary to INTERPOL’s principles of neutrality and respect for human rights.

SANAD pointed out that the idea of establishing the regional office was first introduced in 2016, approved during INTERPOL’s General Assembly in Santiago in 2019, and adopted by the Executive Committee in May 2024. However, the human rights group warned that the continued use of international police channels under these conditions—without an independent judiciary and with no freedom of expression in Saudi Arabia—could lead to further abuses.

SANAD called on INTERPOL to reconsider opening the regional office in Saudi Arabia and to fully adhere to its constitutional principles, which prohibit political influence in international police cooperation. The organization also urged the international community and human rights groups to intensify their efforts to ensure the protection of human rights in Saudi Arabia and prevent the office from being used as a tool for cross-border repression and targeting activists and dissidents.