Ben Keith provides insight on Russia's misuse of Interpol's wanted list for BBC News:
"Russia using Interpol's wanted list to target critics abroad, leak reveals".
The article was first published on the BBC website on 26 January 2026.
Thousands of files provided by a whistleblower at Interpol expose for the first time the extent of Russia's apparent abuse of the international policing agency to target its critics abroad.
The data provided to the BBC World Service and French investigative outlet, Disclose, reveals that Russia is using Interpol's wanted lists to request the arrest of people such as political opponents, businessmen and journalists, claiming that they have committed crimes.
Analysis of data also suggests that over the past decade, Interpol's own independent complaints unit has received more complaints about Russia than anyone else - three times more than the next highest country, Turkey...
"Historically it has been Russia who is one of the main perpetrators of abusive red notices,"
says British barrister Ben Keith, who has represented many clients wishing to have their names removed from Interpol's wanted lists.
Lawyers Yuriy Nemets and Ben Keith agree that Interpol should do more to prevent misuse of its systems.
"If countries are found to be significantly and persistently abusing red notices and diffusions, then they should be suspended from the system for a period of time,"
says Keith.
The full article is available to view on the BBC website, here.
Ben Keith is a leading barrister specialising in cross-border and international cases. He deals with all aspects of extradition, immigration, human rights, mutual legal assistance, Interpol, financial crime and international law, including sanctions. He represents governments, political and military leaders, high net worth individuals, human rights defenders and business leaders in the most sensitive cases. He is a leading authority on the removal of Interpol Red Notices for worldwide clients. He edits the Red Notice Monitor blog.
Ben has extensive experience of appellate proceedings before the Administrative and Divisional Courts, Civil and Criminal Divisions of the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court as well as applications and appeals to the European Court of Human Rights and the United Nations.
Ben has significant expertise in post-soviet states, as well the Middle East and the Far East.
He is ranked in Chambers and Partners as a star leader in the field of extradition at the London Bar and in The Legal 500 as a Tier 1 leading individual in extradition. Ben is also ranked in Chambers and Partners in the field of immigration and in its Financial Crime: High Net Worth Individuals rankings. He is recognised in The Spears’ 500 2024 Guide as a ‘Recommended Immigration Law Barrister’.
