British nationals who claim they were tortured by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are demanding that Scottish police arrest the president of Interpol while he is in Glasgow for its general assembly.
Matthew Hedges and Ali Issa Ahmad, who say they were unlawfully detained and tortured by the Arab state, have filed a complaint with Police Scotland against Major General Ahmed Naser Al-Raisi, also a high-ranking official in the Emirati security services.
Dr Hedges, an academic who spent seven months in a UAE prison and was sentenced to life in jail after being accused of spying for the UK, said Police Scotland had a “duty” to act on his complaint and urged the organisation not to “roll over and cower”.
The Foreign Office was last year told the make a formal apology to Dr Hedges, who claims he was kept in solitary confinement and fed a cocktail of drugs while in detention, for failing to spot signs of “potential torture”.
Mr Ahmad travelled to the UAE in 2019 to attend the Asian Cup football tournament, and claims he was beaten, cut and burnt by police officers who arrested him for wearing a Qatar football shirt.
At the time, the UAE and Qatar had cut diplomatic ties and public shows of support for the country were not tolerated by Emirati authorities.
The pair are calling on Police Scotland to question Mr Al-Raisi under the principle of universal jurisdiction, which means those involved in torture can be arrested and detained regardless of where the alleged crimes were committed.
Dr Hedges was pardoned by the UAE in November 2018 and Mr Ahmad was detained between January and February 2019. The UAE has denied their mistreatment claims.
However, Dr Hedges told The Telegraph that Police Scotland had “more than enough evidence” to investigate and that it was an “opportune moment” for officers to interview Mr Al-Raisi while he is in the country.
The 92nd Interpol general assembly, in Glasgow, begins on Monday and runs until Thursday.
“He is someone known to oversee this system of abuse and torture that does occur in the UAE,” Dr Hedges said.
“The idea that he’s the president of Interpol, or is here for this big conference, shouldn’t matter. There is a suspect here, and the Scottish police should act as if this was any other case.
“The Scottish police can stand among their international peers and demonstrate that they pursue justice, and are not an organisation simply to roll over and cower.
“They have a responsibility and a duty to do this. Anything else would be a dereliction.”
Dr Hedges and Mr Ahmad said they were still dealing daily with the trauma of their detention and alleged torture.
Dr Hedges, who was given a life sentence for espionage, said he remained dependent on medication he was forced to take, was still grappling with mental issues and was also impacted by the “false” spying conviction.
Mr Ahmad said the ongoing impact of his detention was “huge”, that he was on medication for mental issues, and that he still felt in danger whenever he travelled abroad.
He said: “They treated me so cruelly and with total disregard for my life. Since my release the UAE have done nothing at all to hold who did this to me to account.
“Al-Raisi instead comes here to Glasgow to parade around as someone who stands to end crime. Nothing could be further from the truth. He needs to be subjected to justice for his actions and failures to act.”
A similar investigation has been launched in France, where Interpol’s headquarters are located. The pair claim Mr Al-Raisi was summoned for questioning by judges but failed to attend.
Rodney Dixon KC, who is representing the pair, said the Scottish authorities had both the authority and a responsibility to “investigate and prosecute these very serious allegations of torture”.
He said: “He’s not the one who was in the cells torturing, but he was the one supervising those who were. He has the power to investigate all of these complaints and ensure there is justice, which hasn’t happened.”
Earlier this year, a claim for damages brought against UAE officials, including Mr Al-Raisi, by Dr Hedges and Mr Ahmad was dismissed at the High Court, after they claimed immunity under the State Immunity Act 1978.
A spokesman for Interpol said: “In relation to the allegations relating to Ahmed Naser Al-Raisi, this is an issue between the parties involved.”
Police Scotland said: “We have received correspondence and it will be responded to in due course.”