Interpol has elected an Emirati general from the United Arab Emirates who is accused of torture despite the concerns of human rights organizations who fear the agency will be at risk of exploitation by repressive regimes.

According to Reuters, Emirati General Ahmed Nasser Al-Raisi was elected during the international police organization’s general assembly in Istanbul after three rounds of voting during which he received 68.9% of votes cast by member countries.

Mr. Ahmed Nasser al-Raisi of the United Arab Emirates has been elected to the post of president (4-yr term),” Interpol announced on its Twitter account on Thursday.

Al-Raisi has been accused of allowing torture and arbitrary detention in the UAE by rights groups, including the Human Rights Watch (HRW).

Last year, HRW and several other international human rights and civil society groups sent a letter to Interpol’s secretary-general, Juergen Stock, expressing concern over al-Raisi’s potential election.

The HRW cited “allegations of serious abuse” under al-Raisi’s command “particularly against peaceful critics of government policies”.

Complaints of “torture” were filed against Al-Raisi in recent months in France and Turkey.

Only the Czech Republic’s Sarka Havrankova, a veteran officer overseeing the country’s international cooperation in police matters, stood against the general for the post.

Raisi joined the Emirati police force in 1980 and worked there for several decades.

Three European Parliament members wrote a letter dated November 11 to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to warn of the impact the general’s appointment would have on Interpol.

“The election of General Al Raisi would undermine the mission and reputation of Interpol and severely affect the ability of the organization to carry out its mission effectively,” they wrote.

And in October 2020, 19 NGOs, including Human Rights Watch, expressed concern about the possible choice of Raisi, whom they described as being “part of a security apparatus that continues to systematically target peaceful critics”.

According to Dhaka Tribune, one of the complainants against Raisi; British national Matthew Hedges, said he was detained and tortured between May and November 2018 in the United Arab Emirates after he was arrested on false charges of espionage during a study trip.

In another complaint, lawyers for the Gulf Centre for Human Rights accused the general of “acts of torture and barbarism” committed against government critic Ahmed Mansoor.

Mansoor has been detained since 2017 in a four-square-meter cell “without a mattress or protection against the cold” and “without access to a doctor, hygiene, water, and sanitary facilities”, the lawyers said.

These complaints have not resulted in any formal proceedings against the general.

However, Interpol Secretary-General; Juergen Stock who was given a five-year term in 2019 has welcomed Raisi’s appointment, saying “I look forward to working closely with him in ensuring that Interpol continues to fulfill its mandate and support international police cooperation.”