Ben Keith writes for the Times. INTERPOL alone can't stop Russia abusing Red Notices - the UK must help. The article was first published in The Times on 8 October 2026.
Ben Keith has written an opinion piece for The Times, "INTERPOL alone can't stop Russia abusing red notices — the UK must help", arguing that INTERPOL's response to Russian misuse of its systems remains too slow and that the UK and its allies should press for formal corrective measures against Moscow.
Ben's article follows the joint statement on transnational repression issued in September 2026 by more than 40 UN human rights experts, including the Special Rapporteur on Russia, which lists Red Notices and Diffusions among the tools States misuse to pursue opponents abroad. He contrasts INTERPOL's heightened supervision of Russia since March 2022 with BBC findings, drawn from leaked INTERPOL files, that around 90 per cent of Russian requests still passed initial checks in 2024, while the Commission for the Control of INTERPOL's Files overturned roughly half of the Russian cases it heard.
The piece draws on a recent case in which Ben represented a senior Ukrainian with responsibility for part of the country's power supply. Russia opened proceedings against him after the full-scale invasion. He was arrested in Moldova and later in Italy, where he was discharged. The CCF found the Russian notice politically motivated and in breach of his human rights, and deleted it, but its decision came almost two years after the application against a nine-month time limit in its own rules.
Ben proposes that no Russian Red Notice be published without detailed prior examination, that Russian Diffusions be blocked unless vetted first, that notices be suspended as soon as a complaint is made, and that existing Russian notices be reviewed again.
The full article can be read on The Times website. The online article sits behind a paywall and requires a subscription to access.
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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’.
