An Emirati General accused of torture was elected Thursday president of Interpol, the global police agency said, despite the concerns of human rights organizations and members of the European Parliament.

"Mr. Ahmed Nasser Al Raisi of the United Arab Emirates has been elected to the post of president," Interpol said on Twitter. 

Mr Ahmed Nasser AL RAISI of the United Arab Emirates has been elected to the post of President (4-yr term). pic.twitter.com/pJVGfJ4iqi

— INTERPOL (@INTERPOL_HQ) November 25, 2021

Al Raisi, head of UAE's security forces, will take on a largely ceremonial and voluntary role, succeeding President Kim Jong-yang.

Complaints of torture were filed against the Emirati General in recent months in France and Turkey, which is hosting Interpol's General Assembly in Istanbul this week.

The appointment follows huge funding by the UAE for Interpol and comes amid accusations that the Gulf country has abused the global police agency's system of so-called "red notices" for wanted suspects to persecute political opposition.

The UAE donated $54 million (48 million euros) to Interpol in 2017, an amount almost equivalent to the required contributions of all the organization's 195 member countries. The UAE's donation amounted to $68 million (60 million euros) in 2020.

The UAE also gave Interpol around 10 million euros in 2019, approximately 7% of its total annual budget.

Human rights violations

Earlier, three European Parliament members wrote a letter dated November 11 to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to warn of the impact the General's appointment would have on Interpol.

"The election of General al-Raisi would undermine the mission and reputation of Interpol and severely affect the ability of the organization to carry out its mission effectively," they wrote.

In October 2020, 19 NGOs, including Human Rights Watch, expressed concern about the possible appointment of al-Raisi, whom they described as being "part of a security apparatus that continues to systematically target peaceful critics.

Testimonies on torture against al-Raisi

One of the complainants, British national Matthew Hedges said he was detained and tortured between May and November 2018 in the UAE, after he was arrested on false charges of espionage during a study trip.

Hedges was sentenced to life in prison but was pardoned a few days later.

In May 2021, he brought charges against four Emirati officials, including al-Raisi.

In an interview for DW, the British national said he was physically intimidated, threatened, and had suicidal thoughts.

"I was told that nobody knew where I was and that I had no choice," he added.

During his imprisonment, Hedges had suffered panic attacks, after which prison guards forced him to drink a narcotic cocktail.

"He is responsible for torture. How can such a man become one of the world's leading police officers? It's ridiculous," he expressed.

In another complaint, lawyers for the Gulf Center for Human Rights accused the Emirati General of "acts of torture and barbarism" committed against government critic Ahmed Mansoor.

Mansoor has been detained since 2017 in a four-square-meter (43-square-foot) cell "without a mattress or protection against the cold" and "without access to a doctor, hygiene, water, and sanitary facilities", the lawyers said.

These complaints have not resulted in any formal proceedings against al-Raisi.

Despite all accusations, the UAE Embassy in Germany rejected the charges and claimed that the new Interpol president is a "distinguished professional with a 40-year track record in community and national policing," according to DW.