last week, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the imminent publication of the report on Russia’s interference in British democratic processes. Let’s start with the fact that the publication of this document shouldn’t be postponed, it should have been done long ago. However, our politicians (as well as the intelligence and security services) necessary to pay close attention to how Russia has manipulated the judicial process in the United Kingdom. Both are part of the unified strategy for the asymmetric covert operations aimed at destabilizing the institutions that depend on Western democracy.
Russia is a revisionist power. She believes a rules-based international order is unfair and is actively seeking to change it. She wants to weaken the Atlantic Alliance, to divide NATO. To achieve its goals it uses propaganda, economic pressure, demonstrations of military force and threatened to cut energy supplies. She wages war with its neighbours, particularly Georgia and Ukraine, and killing critics of the Kremlin on the territory of other countries, as it happened to Alexander Litvinenko. In addition, it is abusing the institutions of international legal cooperation and law enforcement.
the Last ten years, Russia has deliberately abused by international judicial mechanisms. She used the system the red notice of Interpol to harass critics and opponents of the Kremlin — including businessman and human rights activist bill Browder (Bill Browder) — all around the world. Interpol Charter should prevent attempts to use the organization for purposes of politically motivated prosecutions, but it is quite difficult to implement in practice, because it gets displayedmessages from police agencies of individual States. And often Russia, this information does not transfer.
in Addition, Russia often provides false documents, false evidence and a completely implausible explanation in courts around the world.
the Context
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Earlier this week during a meeting of the UN security Council, Russia said that evidence of a chemical attack, committed in April 2018 in the Syrian city of Duma, were fabricated by the Syrian opposition groups “provocation”. Then the United Kingdom Ambassador to the UN Karen pierce (Karen Pierce) accused Russia in inventing fantastic stories not worse than those of Lewis Carroll. In the course of two different hearings in the European court of human rights, the representatives of Russia stated that the evidence that the Russian military killed the civilians during the war in Georgia in 2008, is “propaganda”, and the data regarding the annexation of the Crimean Peninsula in 2014 is “fake”.
meanwhile, Russia occupies or seeks to occupy influential positions that will help her continue to destroy international cooperation mechanisms between law enforcement agencies. Vladimir Voronkov, the official of the Ministry of foreign Affairs, now heads the counter-terrorism office of the United Nations, that is, occupies a key position in the structure of international law enforcement system. Alexander Prokopchuk, an official of the Ministry of internal Affairs of Russia, held the position of Vice-President of Interpol from 2016 to 2018, after which he tried to compete for the post of President of this organization, but failed.
From the point of view of the Kremlin, his behaviour is in any case will benefit him. If his efforts are successful, then he will be able cynically to abuse the system of international legal cooperation. If not, then his actions will demonstrate the weaknesses of the Western system of protection of liberal democracy and exposes us to ridicule. If we continue not doing anything to protect these systems, we also find ourselves drawn into the world of inverted morality.
Russia’s Actions pose a serious threat to the security of the United Kingdom. And the degree of this threat will increase significantly after the United Kingdom leave the European Union because it no longer has direct access to the Interpol. Law enforcement agencies of the United Kingdom will have increasingly to rely on the Interpol for the organization, which, as it turned out, vulnerable to the machinations of Russia.
in an effective manner. In his speech, which the Queen said in December, it ordered the government to give effect to the sanctions of the Magnitsky, and should be a top priority. However, other initiatives have been announced, and visa reform, limited economic sanctions, warrants of property of unknown origin — has not yet been fully realized. We need a number of new legislative initiatives to protect judicial institutions against the interference of Russia.
Russia got away with her abuse Western judicial systems, because Western bodies of justice are too slow and sluggish to respond to immediate claim on the part of a sovereign state and are not subjected to these claims of the scrutiny, which requires the situation. This situation must be corrected. All the statements of Russia need to be much more thorough legal review. Our courts have much more thoroughly to check out all the “red notices”, which Russia produces through Interpol. It’s time to speak out against such dangerous behavior.
Ben Emmerson, a specialist on international law and former UN special Rapporteur on counter-terrorism.
Dr. Andrew Foxall — Director of the Center for the study of Russia and Eurasian Affairs at the Henry Jackson Society.
the new York times contain estimates of the solely foreign media and do not reflect the views of the editorial Board of the new York times.
