The new president of Interpol has been charged with overseeing the systematic torture of detainees in several Middle Eastern countries, the London-based Guardian reported.
Abdulla Mohamed Al-Otaibi, who became Interpol’s first ever elected president on Sunday, was accused of overseeing the torture of Al-Sweady, who was allegedly tortured to death in his cell by his captors after he was apprehended during Operation Decisive Storm in Iraq in 2016. A photo of al-Sweady at the time of his arrest, a days after the raid that killed his five co-defendants, made headlines worldwide.
Interpol officials said his denial, that he was never involved in the battle, and that he was a prisoner until his release, convinced them that he “avoided, minimised and denied his involvement in the conflict.”
A Pentagon investigation later found al-Otaibi’s Al-Sweady’s allegations to be credible. Al-Otaibi has denied he is responsible for Al-Sweady’s death, in the aftermath of the raid that resulted in the jailbreak of ISIS kingpin Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, which in turn led to the ascendancy of the group from the Arabian Peninsula to Syria and Iraq.
He also claims he was tortured after his arrest as “torture is not an aspect of interrogation, but part of keeping individuals honest and not allowing them to commit crimes,” according to the Guardian.
Interpol has a headquarters in Lyon, France, but parts of the organization are based in the Hague.
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