Red Notice and political persecution
Inna Tliashinova
A politically motivated criminal prosecution that turned into an Interpol Red Notice. Any trip across a border turned into a risk of detention and subsequent extradition.
- Jurisdiction
- Russia
- Duration
- ≈10 months
- Outcome
- Red Notice removed from Interpol's databases
Situation
The criminal prosecution of Inna Tliashinova bore clear signs of political motivation. The Red Notice, circulated through Interpol's channels, turned that motivation into a problem for every other country: crossing any border meant a risk of arrest at the request of the state of origin.
A Red Notice operates differently from a national indictment. It does not require the receiving country to make its own assessment of the case, and it turns everyday actions — a flight, applying for a residence permit, opening a bank account — into procedures with an unpredictable outcome.
Key challenges
- Proving the political motivation with limited access to the criminal case file.
- The threat of detention in several European countries at once.
- The need for an urgent response: before the first border check, not after it.
ARGA's work
- 01
Urgent legal analysis
Within the first 48 hours, ARGA carried out an expedited analysis of the case and assessed the grounds for the notice against Interpol's Constitution and Rules on the Processing of Data.
- 02
Gathering evidence of the case's political character
Materials were systematised showing the context of the prosecution: the circumstances in which the case was opened, its chronology, and its connection to the political situation.
- 03
Application to the CCF
A complaint was prepared and filed with Interpol's Commission for the Control of Files, arguing that the notice was inconsistent with Article 3 of Interpol's Constitution, which prohibits intervention in matters of a political character.
- 04
Safety measures during the review period
While the complaint was under review, recommendations on travel and interactions with authorities were put in place to reduce the risk of detention pending the decision.
- 05
The CCF's decision
The Commission for the Control of Files found the data non-compliant with Interpol's rules, and the notice was removed from the organisation's databases.
Result
The Red Notice was removed. Inna Tliashinova lives in the European Union with a settled legal status and restored freedom of movement.