OPINION - Editorial

Others say: Another victim

The poisoning of a former Russian double agent and his daughter in Salisbury, England, earlier this month isn't just an international scandal. It is also a crime. And while U.K. authorities are responsible for the investigation, their job is complicated by a crisis at Interpol.

The global law-enforcement agency, which has coordinated worldwide police responses and tracked criminals since World War I, would need to assist Scotland Yard if the trail leads to the Kremlin, as seems likely. Its primary tool is the so-called red notice. These alerts--requested by national authorities and reviewed and issued by Interpol--tell local authorities of travelers facing arrest in their home countries who should be detained for potential extradition.

In theory, it's a good system. In practice, it's being abused by Russia and other authoritarian regimes trying to punish political dissidents and others.

Interpol has made some minor reforms, but it needs to bring in an independent body. Such a board could determine which countries are abusing the red-flag system--and then hold these countries to a higher standard of evidence before issuing red notices on their behalf.

Interpol may well need a broader overhaul, as any century-old institution would. In the meantime, it needs to take some concrete steps to protect itself from being manipulated in an increasingly authoritarian world.

Editorial on 04/26/2018

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