The 2026 INTERPOL General Assembly will be held in Hong Kong at the end of this year. On March 13, Secretary for Security Tang Ping-keung stated that preparations are progressing vigorously, calling it an important platform to “tell the world China’s story and Hong Kong’s story.” International human rights organizations sharply criticized this, saying holding the assembly within “the most oppressive regime” is a “terrible idea.” Human rights lawyers also criticized it as endorsing human rights violations in China and Hong Kong.
According to the Hong Kong Commercial Daily, Secretary for Security Tang Ping-keung posted on social media on March 13 that the 2026 INTERPOL General Assembly will be held in Hong Kong at the end of this year, and preparations are well underway.
Tang stated that the assembly will gather police leaders from around the world and serve as an important stage to demonstrate Hong Kong’s safety, internationalization, and the successful implementation of “One Country, Two Systems.” He said he and his team will do their utmost to ensure the event runs smoothly and “tell the world China’s story and Hong Kong’s story.”
International human rights advisors: NGOs and journalists face risks
According to Radio France Internationale, Newsweek cited Ben Keith, representing International Human Rights Advisors (IHR Advisors), criticizing that China is one of the countries that frequently abuses “Red Notices,” yet INTERPOL chose to hold its assembly within this “most oppressive regime,” calling it a “terrible idea.”
Keith pointed out that although INTERPOL claims to welcome media and other non-law enforcement participants to opening and closing events, some NGOs and media cannot attend due to the risk of arrest, describing the arrangement as “mad.”
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He also noted that after suppressing the anti-extradition protests in 2019, Hong Kong implemented a strict National Security Law, arresting large numbers of pro-democracy figures. Among them, 78-year-old media tycoon Jimmy Lai was sentenced to 20 years in prison for “colluding with foreign forces.” If the assembly is held in Hong Kong, NGOs and journalists attending could face arrest risks, which would be “absurd” if such arrests occur.
The report also cited an anonymous former Asian police officer, who said the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) hopes to use Hong Kong police to increase its influence within INTERPOL, so that cross-border operations like “Fox Hunt” and “Sky Net” could gain international institutional recognition.
The report further mentioned that the U.S. government issued a safety alert for U.S. citizens in response to Hong Kong’s “mandatory phone unlocking order” passed last month.
Human rights lawyers: INTERPOL endorses China and Hong Kong’s human rights violations
Wu Shaoping, chairman of the Overseas Chinese Human Rights Lawyers Alliance, told RFI that China uses “Red Notices” to carry out cross-border persecution of exiled and overseas dissidents, citing many cases. He said that INTERPOL, such an important international organization, choosing to hold its assembly in China and Hong Kong with poor human rights records, is essentially endorsing human rights violations under the guise of the organization, and whitewashing the serious human rights abuses in Hong Kong in recent years.
Wu noted that the CCP is skilled at using international rules to export its values; a previous U.S. congressional report accused the CCP of manipulating the United Nations through funding and personnel. He warned that China and Hong Kong could use the assembly to push their political agenda and establish mechanisms favorable to cross-border repression of dissidents, increasing risks for Chinese and Hong Kong dissidents.
According to the “Chasing the Light” report, Mong Zhaoda, secretary-general of Hong Kong Labor Rights Monitor, wanted under the National Security Law, criticized that Hong Kong has become a police state, with the government even allegedly carrying out cross-border suppression from its London trade office. He said INTERPOL’s holding the assembly in Hong Kong is tantamount to tacitly recognizing the Hong Kong government’s human rights violations and “whitewashing” them.
He cited his own experience: authorities filed charges against him under the pretext of tax arrears, raising fears that other criminal charges could be “arbitrarily fabricated” in the future, including requesting an INTERPOL “Red Notice” against him. He urged INTERPOL to remain vigilant and prevent being used by the CCP to persecute dissidents.
According to Newsweek, in 2024 INTERPOL issued 15,548 “Red Notices,” a 27 percent increase from 2023. By 2025, the organization rejected 2,550 “Red Notice” requests from member states, 558 of which were rejected due to political, military, religious, or ethnic considerations, an 83 percent increase from 2024.
Human rights organization Safeguard Defenders stated that the CCP uses “Red Notices” to track certain individuals and pressure their host countries to revoke residency rights, facilitating direct monitoring, intimidation, and harassment.
The investigative media platform Disclose reported that as of September 2024, the CCP had used INTERPOL’s “Red Notices” to pursue 2,561 individuals, including overseas political dissidents and Uyghurs.
By Li Jingyao
