Turkey’s Covert Plan to Bypass INTERPOL and Target Exiled Journalist in Sweden (350 words)

July 18, 2025 – Turkey – 

A leaked memo dated June 18, 2025, from Turkey’s Security General Directorate (Emniyet) reveals a covert strategy to circumvent INTERPOL’s political protections to secure a Red Notice against Levent Kenez, a Turkish journalist living in exile in Sweden. The memo, obtained by Nordic Monitor, is signed by İskender Güray Keskin, deputy head of the Interpol–Europol Department, and circulated among Turkey’s intelligence and judicial institutions.

Kenez, based in Stockholm and editor of Nordic Monitor, fled Turkey in 2016 to escape fabricated charges. Turkish intelligence had repeatedly attempted—and failed—to obtain INTERPOL Red Notices against him, due to politically motivated accusations tied to the Gülen movement. In response, the memo recommends omitting any terrorism or Gülen-related allegations and instead emphasizing alternative criminal charges, such as “unlawful acquisition or dissemination of personal data,” to meet INTERPOL’s admissibility standards without triggering political screening mechanisms.

Turkey had faced widespread Red Notice rejections: INTERPOL reportedly rejected nearly 800 such Turkish requests over five years, citing violations of its constitutional ban on political cases. Previously, Nordic Monitor and others documented Turkey’s misuse of other Interpol mechanisms, such as the SLTD (Stolen and Lost Travel Document) system, by marking critics’ passports as revoked or stolen to facilitate arrest during travel.

The memo also proposes alternative strategies, such as leveraging bilateral or regional extradition treaties, bypassing INTERPOL entirely. Despite Sweden’s Supreme Court rejecting Turkey’s extradition request for Kenez in 2021—citing the political nature of allegations and risk of persecution—Ankara’s plans persist.

These revelations shed light on a broader campaign of transnational repression by Turkish authorities, targeting dissidents, journalists, and activists abroad by manipulating international law enforcement tools. Rights groups have condemned Turkey’s efforts as systematic attempts to silence criticism beyond its borders.

Turkey is actively scheming to bypass INTERPOL’s political screening by rebranding charges against critics like Kenez, while exploring alternative mechanisms outside established human rights safeguards. This reflects a disturbing trend of state-sponsored coercion and global intimidation of exiled opposition voices.

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Turkey secretly plots to bypass INTERPOL rules to target exiled journalist in Sweden