ABC Consulting Group lawyers have successful experience in appealing the international search of Interpol with the cancellation of such circulars as: RED NOTE and DIFFUSION. They provide the following types of services for contacting the INTERPOL File Control Commission (CCF):

— preparing and submitting requests to the CCF of INTERPOL for access to information in relation to the applicant;

— requests to correct/delete data, including removal from the international wanted list;

— requests for interim measures (temporary blocking of the file until the final session);

— preventive requests;

— submission of applications for review of decisions taken by the Interpol File Control Commission to refuse to correct/delete data.

It is essential to seek the assistance of a qualified lawyer with relevant experience in order to submit a request for access, erasure/correction to the Interpol File Control Commission.

We will tell you a brief information on how the search is organized by Interpol and which of the available circulars are used to carry out the arrest below.

The main task of the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) is to take into account international criminal information and unite the efforts of national law enforcement agencies of participating countries in the fight against crime. Interpol headquarters is located in Lyon, France.

In each of the Interpol member countries, within the structure of national law enforcement agencies, National Central Bureaus (NCBs) have been created, which are bodies for interaction with the Interpol NCBs of other countries, as well as with the General Secretariat.

Based on requests from the NCB of the country initiating the search, information about the search for a specific person is entered into the Interpol database with the assignment and publication of a specific map/circular of the international search.

However, despite the fact that Interpol authorities have the authority to verify information provided by the NCB of the initiating country before entering the information into the database, in practice it is generally accepted that the information provided by the NCB is accurate and sufficient to place the file in the system.

Based on this, some countries, especially those with an authoritarian-totalitarian regime of power, use Interpol to prosecute not in order to suppress crime, but to put pressure on unwanted persons by fabricating criminal cases and initiating an international search for political views or membership in a certain social group.

INTERPOL Circulars (maps)

INTERPOL uses nine types of – notification/circular cards, seven of which are assigned specific colors:

— red note — to search for and arrest a person for the purpose of extradition

— blue note — to establish the whereabouts of a person or obtain information about a person who constitutes an interest in a criminal investigation (suspect, accused, victim, witness)

— green notice — to warn about a person's criminal activities if the person poses a threat to society

— yellow note — to locate the missing person or establish the identity of the person

— black note — for information about dead bodies

-purple notice — to warn about the procedure, objects, means or methods of concealment used by criminals, or to obtain information about crimes

-orange notice — to warn about an event, person, object or process that constitutes a threat to society and may harm property or person

Interpol Special Notice — UN Security Council — to inform INTERPOL member members that a person or entity is under UN Security Council sanctions.

stolen work of art notice – stolen art item notification.

In addition, NCBs of participating countries often use a circular such as diffusion to search for arrest and extradition. The main difference between diffusion and red notice– is that a request for international cooperation is sent to specific countries of the applicant country's NCB's choice, i.e. only countries specified by the applicant country see the request to search for and arrest a person in their databases. In addition, diffusion does not require approval from the General Secretariat of Interpol, but is sent directly to the NCBs of the — participating countries. However, for the Russian Federation, Interpol formally complicated the rules for placing the diffusion circular, requiring it to be coordinated with the General Secretariat from April 2022, but in fact – the changes remained de jure.

Appeal of the international search to INTERPOL.

The structure of INTERPOL bodies, in addition to the General Secretariat, the General Assembly and the Executive Committee, includes the File Control Commission (CCF), — this is a special body within the organization, which in its work is guided by the Charter of March 11, 2017.

The File Control Commission, namely its Requests Chamber, reviews requests for access to data, correction/deletion of data, as well as taking preventive measures against persons on the international wanted list and for whom INTERPOL has issued arrest and extradition circulars.

The Commission meets four times a year, at which it makes decisions on correcting/deleting data from the INTERPOL database. The Commission may also make decisions between sessions in certain cases.

In the event of the Commission's decision to refuse to correct/delete data in relation to the applicant, there is a mechanism for reviewing the Commission's decision, but only if there are grounds and compliance with specific requirements.

During the CCF's review of the request to correct/delete data, it is possible to impose temporary measures to suspend the search for red notices and diffusion notices until the CCF's final decision is made. If temporary measures are imposed on the applicant, the INTERPOL database will not reflect the search information during the duration of these measures.

Preventive request to INTERPOL.

If the applicant is not wanted by INTERPOL, but he has real concerns that there is a possibility of criminal proceedings being initiated in the country of his persecution, followed by the initiation of an international search, then in such cases it is advisable to submit a preventive (proactive) request to the CCF. A preventive request is submitted in order to ensure that, upon receipt of a request from the NCB of the initiating country to add information to the database, the CCF conducts the necessary checks and takes appropriate measures against the applicant, such as not posting the information in the INTERPOL database until the final decision of the CCF is made.