[Excerpt] The INTERPOL General Secretariat is expanding its role in providing international coordination and support for law enforcement agencies in member countries and international organizations responsible for the investigation and prosecution of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.
INTERPOL has been supporting member countries and the ad hoc International Criminal Tribunals in the location and apprehension of criminals wanted for genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity since 1994, primarily through the publication of Red Notices and the provision of other investigative assistance

Carvelli, Stefano

English

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11-26-2008 
The Struggle Against the Impunity: The Contribution of the 
International Police Cooperation 
Stefano Carvelli 
INTERPOL 
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The Struggle Against the Impunity: The Contribution of the International Police 
Cooperation 
Abstract 
[Excerpt] The INTERPOL General Secretariat is expanding its role in providing international coordination 
and support for law enforcement agencies in member countries and international organizations 
responsible for the investigation and prosecution of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. 
INTERPOL has been supporting member countries and the ad hoc International Criminal Tribunals in the 
location and apprehension of criminals wanted for genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity 
since 1994, primarily through the publication of Red Notices and the provision of other investigative 
assistance. 
Keywords 
INTERPOL, war crimes, Rwanda, law enforcement, genocide, crimes against humanity 
Comments 
Suggested Citation 
Carvelli, S. (2008, November). The struggle against the impunity: The contribution of the International 
Police Cooperation. Paper presented at the forum between Offices of the Prosecutors of Ad Hoc Criminal 
Tribunals and National Prosecuting Authorities, Arusha, Tanzania. 
http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/intl/73 
This article is available at DigitalCommons@ILR: https://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/intl/73 
FORUM BETWEEN OFFICES OF THE PROSECUTORS OF UN AD HOC 
CRIMINAL TRIBUNALS AND NATIONAL PROSECUTING AUTHORITIES 
26-28 November 2008 
Arusha – Tanzania 
THE STRUGGLE AGAINST THE IMPUNITY 
THE CONTRIBUTION OF THE INTERNATIONAL POLICE COOPERATION 
Stefano Carvelli - INTERPOL 
INTRODUCTION 
Good afternoon Ladies and Gentlemen, 
It is a great pleasure for me to participate in this Event, and I am honored to have the 
opportunity to give you this presentation on the INTERPOL support to the fight against the 
impunity for Genocide, War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity. 
INTERPOL: A GENERAL OVERVIEW 
INTERPOL is the largest international police organization in the world. It was set up in 1923 
to facilitate cross-border criminal police cooperation and today has 187 member countries 
spread over five continents. 
INTERPOL’S 4 CORE FUNCTIONS 
In order to achieve these objectives, INTERPOL has identified four core functions: 
1 . a secure global communications system known as I-24/7. 
2. operational databases 
3. operational support 24h/24 – 7j/7. 
4.training and development. 
INTERPOL’S 6 PRIORITY AREAS 
INTERPOL’s priority activities concern public safety and terrorism, criminal organizations, 
drug-related crimes, financial and high-tech crime, trafficking in human beings, anti-
corruption and fugitive investigation support. 
INTERPOL’S DATA BASES 
INTERPOL global databases are recognized as efficient tools to identify and arrest criminals 
and terrorists. 
SEARCHING FOR FUGITIVES: WHY? 
One of the greatest threats to the international safety is that of wanted criminals, who are 
able to flee and avoid apprehension. In many cases, these individuals have extensive 
criminal records and have the knowledge, the support and the means to avoid detection and 
apprehension. 
1 
The act of apprehending a fugitive is symbolic of an effective criminal justice system. It 
reaffirms the trust the public has in the justice system. 
INTERPOL’S RED NOTICE 
One of INTERPOL's most important tasks is to place member countries on alert about 
people who are being sought by police forces worldwide. 
INTERPOL’s main tool for helping police across its network to track fugitives is its Red 
Notices, an international wanted persons notice. This year, more than 600 people have 
been arrested on the basis of INTERPOL notices and, since 2000, almost 27,000 fugitives 
who were the subjects of INTERPOL notices and diffusions have been caught. 
THE LEGAL FRAMEWORK 
In application of Article 2 of its Constitution, the Organization acts 'in the spirit of the 
Universal Declaration of Human Rights'. 
Article 3 of the INTERPOL’s Constitution, adds a certain number of restrictions: 
"It is strictly forbidden for the Organization to undertake any intervention or activities of a 
political, military, religious or racial character". 
THE LEGAL FRAMEWORK 
The INTERPOL General Secretariat is expanding its role in providing international co-
ordination and support for law enforcement agencies in member countries and international 
organizations responsible for the investigation and prosecution of genocide, war crimes, and 
crimes against humanity. 
INTERPOL has been supporting member countries and the ad hoc International Criminal 
Tribunals in the location and apprehension of criminals wanted for genocide, war crimes, 
and crimes against humanity since 1994, primarily through the publication of Red Notices 
and the provision of other investigative assistance. 
In 1994, ICPO-INTERPOL began cooperating with the International Criminal Tribunal for 
the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) pursuant to AGN/63/RES/9 – Rome GA (Art. 3 
interpretation). Since then, IPSG has routinely supported ICTY in the search for war 
criminals through the publication of Red Notices, and coordinated the activities of member 
countries with regard to crimes subject to the jurisdiction of the ICTY. In 1997, pursuant to 
AGN/66/RES/10 – New Delhi GA, IPSG extended this assistance to International Criminal 
Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) as well. 
In August 2003, the United Nations Security Council adopted a resolution on the Completion 
Strategy for ICTR and ICTY, which, among other things, “Calls on all States to cooperate 
with the International Criminal Police Organization (ICPO-INTERPOL) in apprehending and 
transferring persons indicted by the ICTY and the ICTR. 
The 19th INTERPOL African Regional Conference ended on 13 July 2007 with a call for all 
National Central Bureaus (NCBs) to provide whatever assistance necessary to arrest the 
remaining fugitives of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR). 
On 8 November 2007, the INTERPOL General Assembly in Marrakech adopted 
Resolution No AG-2007-RES-13 which invited all Member countries, through their NCBs, to 
undertake all that is within their powers and compatible with their national legislations, to 
ensure the widest possible mutual assistance in order to apprehend the above fugitives, 
before the scheduled end of the trials before the ICTR. 
2 
More recently, INTERPOL’s 37th European Regional Conference in Vilnius ended with a call 
for National Central Bureaus (NCBs) to provide the widest possible assistance to locate and 
arrest the four remaining fugitives wanted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the 
former Yugoslavia (ICTY). 
NETWORKING 
We are promoting the creation of Specialists Community, putting in place a global network 
of contact points. 
The 76th GA (Marrakesh) urged the member countries to create an 'International Fugitive 
Investigations Contact Point' within their National Central Bureaus which deals with 
international search requests and promotes the international co-operation and mutual 
assistance necessary for the location and apprehension of international Fugitives. 
Information on best practices and training to member countries are provided through 
seminars and conference. 
We organised, in cooperation with South African Police and NCB Pretoria, the 5Th 
International Conference on Fugitives. 
Concerning the field of Genocide, War Crimes and Crimes against Humanity, INTERPOL 
organizes GWC investigators meetings as the 3rd in Ottawa and the upcoming in Oslo 18-20 
May 2009 to collect experiences and to maintain a network of specialists. 
The first INTERPOL war crime course will be held in Lyon 19-23 January 2009. 
It has never been done before and we have brought in experts from the various 
Internationals and ad hoc Tribunals, ICC and countries that have already experience in this 
area to design the course. 
OPERATIONAL SUPPORT 
Interpol co-operates closely with the International Criminal Court, the Special Court for 
Sierra Leone and the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia as well as law 
enforcement in its 187 member countries, to ensure that genocide perpetrators, war 
criminals and people involved in Crimes against Humanity are located, arrested and brought 
to justice. It is done through the publication of Red Notices and the provision of other 
investigative assistance. 
COOPERATION WITH ICTY 
Concerning KARADZIC Radovan, arrested on 21 July 2008, IPSG issued the RED NOTICE 
upon the request of ICTY on 1 December 1995; INTERPOL has been circulating information 
provided from several Member Countries, following the developments of the case. 
INTERPOL also supported the arrest of in Beograd ZUPLJANIN Stojan, on 11 June 2006. 
RWANDAN GENOCIDE FUGITIVES PROJECT 
The OS-FIS (Fugitive Investigative Support Sub-Directorate) Rwandan Genocide Fugitives 
Project aim is to locate and to arrest the fugitives wanted by the International Criminal 
Tribunal for Rwanda and all genocide perpetrators wanted by Rwandan judicial authorities. 
3 
The role of OS-FIS is to coordinate INTERPOL member countries actions in order to realize 
the apprehension of the fugitives, providing the NCBs with information and ID materials of 
the wanted people and ensuring operational support to the ICTR Tracking Unit and the 
Rwandan authorities. 
ARRESTS 
To date, 11 Rwandan suspects who were the object of an INTERPOL wanted persons Red 
Notice requested by either the ICTR or INTERPOL’s National Central Bureau in Kigali have 
been arrested, with thre of the suspects transferred to Arusha, Tanzania, to face trial at the 
ICTR. 
(Dominique NTAWUKURIRYAYO - Augustin NGIRABATWARE - Callixte NZABONIMANA) 
THE ICTR/INTERPOL POSTER 
OS-FIS is also trying to increase the awareness of the public and of the worldwide law 
enforcement community public about what happened in Rwanda and, on 30 November 
2007, within the framework above mentioned, a poster for the 14 remaining fugitives (now 
13) wanted by the ICTR was published on the INTERPOL web site. The poster is regularly 
updated. 
WEB FUGITIVE 
The internet has recently grown exponentially as a social platform, accessible from almost 
everywhere at every time, day or night. INTERPOL’s Fugitives Investigative Support Sub 
Directorate (FIS) is working to respond to this increased internet utility with its establishment 
of a ‘Web Fugitives System’. This allows the public to contact INTERPOL’s FIS directly with 
any information regarding fugitives, in away offering INTERPOL ears in otherwise 
inaccessible corners of the globe. 
INTERPOL’S TRANSMISSION ROLE 
Under the terms of Article 2 of its Constitution, one of the main aims of Interpol is to promote 
international mutual assistance in law enforcement matters. The Organization thereby 
makes it possible for member states to co-operate in tracing wanted individuals with a view 
to their extradition. 
There are also several International/Regional Conventions in which the INTERPOL's 
Transmission Role is mentioned. 
THE USE OF SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES AND THE INTERNET IN GENERAL IN 
IDENTIFYING AND LOCATING WANTED PERSONS 
During the last month, FIS has also taken a more daring step further into more innovative 
investigative / law enforcement techniques to make more use of the wider public in this way. 
It has produced a small video clip, vocally translated into all four INTERPOL languages, to 
alert the public. 
Thank you for listening. And if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask. 
4 


The Struggle Against the Impunity: The Contribution of the International Police Cooperation

Paper presented at the forum between Offices of the Prosecutors of Ad Hoc Criminal Tribunals and National Prosecuting Authorities, Arusha, Tanzania.[Excerpt] The INTERPOL General Secretariat is expanding its role in providing international coordination and support for law enforcement agencies in member countries and international organizations responsible for the investigation and prosecution of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.  INTERPOL has been supporting member countries and the ad hoc International Criminal Tribunals in the location and apprehension of criminals wanted for genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity since 1994, primarily through the publication of Red Notices and the provision of other investigative assistance.ICTR_INTERPOL_.pdf: 594 downloads, before Oct. 1, 2020

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