Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what support his Department is providing under the UN Guiding Principles On Business and Human Rights to human rights defender Mr Andy Hall on a potential red or diffusion notice being issued by Interpol.

In line with the Government’s longstanding policy, I can neither confirm nor deny whether Mr Hall is the subject of an INTERPOL notice or diffusion. The National Crime Agency hosts the UK National Crime Bureau which is responsible for handling INTERPOL requests in the UK. It is operationally independent from the Home Office, it would not be appropriate for me to pursue such issues directly with the NCA or INTERPOL.

However, I can assure you that any misuse of INTERPOL notices is taken very seriously by the government. The then Home Secretary raised this issue with INTERPOL Secretary General Stock on 18 April, and the UK has taken a strongly supportive stance in relation to INTERPOL’s efforts to ensure robust systems are in place to protect human rights and preclude interventions or activities of a political, military, religious or racial character.

I note that any person who is the subject of information processed in the INTERPOL information system may submit a request directly to INTERPOL’s Commission for the Control of INTERPOL’s Files (CCF), an independent body which ensures processing of personal information by INTERPOL complies with its regulations for access to, correction or deletion of data relating to them.