A lawyer for a jailed human rights defender in the United Arab Emirates has filed a torture complaint against Interpol's new president, Ahmed Nasser Al-Raisi, during his first visit to the international police agency's headquarters in Lyon, France.

According to William Bourdon, a lawyer for Emirati human rights defender and blogger Ahmed Mansour, the complaint against Al-Raisi was filed in a Paris court under the principle of universal jurisdiction. Mansour is serving a 10-year sentence for "insulting the status and prestige of the UAE" and its leaders in social media posts.

Separately, lawyers for two British citizens who accused Al-Raisi of torture filed a criminal complaint with the Paris Tribunal's specialized judicial unit for crimes against humanity and war crimes on Tuesday.

In November, Al-Raisi was elected president of Interpol for a four-year term. Human rights groups have repeatedly accused him of participating in torture and arbitrary detentions in the UAE.

In October 2020, 19 NGOs, including #HRW, 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.#Interpol pic.twitter.com/eCHosNrxfq

— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) November 29, 2021

Torture complaint against Al-Raisi

In a tweet on Monday, Al-Raisi announced his visit to Interpol's headquarters in Lyon, saying, "With the start of the new year, I begin today my first visit to Lyon, France, as the president of Interpol."

“Al-Raisi’s presence on French territory triggers the universal jurisdiction of French courts and immunity can not be invoked,” said Rodney Dixon, a lawyer for the two Britons, Matthew Hedges, and Ali Issa Ahmad.

Hedges, a doctoral student, was imprisoned in the UAE for nearly seven months in 2018 on spying charges and claimed he was tortured and held in solitary confinement for months. Ahmad, a football fan, claims that the UAE security agency tortured him during the 2019 Asia Cup.

In October, they filed a torture complaint against Al-Raisi with the Paris Tribunal's prosecutors. Dixon stated that the complaint is still pending. According to him, the criminal complaint filed directly with the tribunal's judges on Tuesday – with Al-Raisi on French territory – means that the French judges "should immediately open an investigation into claims against him."

“According to French law, an open investigation could lead to Al-Raisi’s detention for questioning while he is on French territory, either now or whenever he returns,” Dixon said.

It was unknown how long Al-Raisi would stay in Lyon. On Tuesday, Interpol officials did not respond to phone calls or emails from the Associated Press inquiring about his whereabouts.

While at Interpol's headquarters in France, Al-Raisi said he would work with members of the executive committee and the secretary-general "as an integrated team towards greater global safety and security."