Brazil: INTERPOL Executive Committee Recommends Valdez Urquiza as Next Secretary General of Organization (Post 2 of 2)

Our last post covered the likely confirmation of Brazilian Valdeca Urquiza as the next Secretary General of INTERPOL. Today’s post will focus on the possible implications of Mr. Urquiza holding that position.

If elected, Mr. Urquiza would be INTERPOL’s first leader from a developing country. The organization has never had a Secretary General who was not from Europe or the United States. Mr. Urquiza’s candidacy points to a future with a potentially more diverse, expansive perspective for INTERPOL. In his statement recommending the position, he was reported to have emphasized his “…plans to strengthen INTERPOL as an ‘absolutely essential platform for global policing’ and to avoid using the agency for political purposes.”

However, Brazil’s history of corruption is worrying. Transparency International rates Brazil 104th out of 180 countries, with 54% of citizens believing corruption has increased over the past year. Naturally, INTERPOL is concerned that the relatively high level of corruption raises the possibility of invalid arrests and subsequent red notices. We have seen this correlation with other INTERPOL member countries, and these concerns may be justified in this situation, given the evidence available.

Human Rights Watch has called for protections for voting rights and freedom of speech in Brazil over the past few years. The Reuters Institute has reported that journalists have been arrested for reporting on the news. In addition, recent news reports of a “sprawling wave of serious human rights abuses in Brazil — social media bans, political persecution, the imprisonment of the opposition on false charges, thinly veiled censorship laws” led to a U.S. congressional hearing where a number of people testified about the growing censorship and politically motivated accusations and red notices against journalists. Witnesses testifying include:

Not all of the testimony (all of it is here in transcript form) was critical of the government. Witness Fabio de Sa e Silva, professor of Brazilian studies, University of Oklahoma. Professor Sa e Silva testified that there is no democratic crisis in Brazil and that the Brazilian judiciary is acting in accordance with its interpretation of the law. He described the country as having a “vibrant democracy.”

Mr. Urquiza will certainly have a wealth of experience and observations to draw on as he leads an international organization. His experience in positions such as Director of International Cooperation for the Brazilian Federal Police will help him navigate INTERPOL, an organization that has its own struggles with abuses and corruption.

INTERPOL President Ahmed Naser Al-Raisi, who has also faced accusations of human rights abuses, publicly supported Mr Urquiza:

“Mr. Urquiza impressed the Executive Committee with his experience, vision and commitment to international policing. He brings significant experience in policing, as a senior police officer in Brazil, a former INTERPOL staff member and INTERPOL Vice President for the Americas.”

Valdecy Urquiza will almost certainly become the next Secretary General of INTERPOL. It will be interesting to see how he deals with the current problems within the organization and how his leadership compares to that of outgoing Secretary General Jürgen Stock.

As always, your feedback and comments are welcome.

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