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The House

Interpol, Interrupted

Kremlin critic Bill Browder is calling on Canada to lead the push to kick Russia out of the international policing organization Interpol.
CBC Radio ·
Hermitage Capital CEO and Kremlin critic Bill Browder attends a news conference in London on Nov. 20, 2018. Two top targets of international arrest warrants sought by Moscow said Tuesday they were launching a legal bid to get Russia suspended from Interpol for abusing the global police organization. The intervention by investor Bill Browder and Mikhail Khodorkovsky -- a former oil baron who spent 10 years in a Russian jail and now lives in London exile -- came as Putin was on the brink of getting an ally named to a top Interpol post. (Daniel Leal-Olivas/AFP/Getty Images)

One of the Kremlin's most prominent critics is calling on the Canadian government to lead the charge to suspend Russia from the international police organization Interpol.

In recent days, Bill Browder — who spearheaded the global Magnitsky Act movement to punish Russian officials responsible for the death of accountant Sergei Magnitsky in a Moscow prison in 2009 — has been part of a vocal campaign to stop Russian interior ministry officer Alexander Prokopchuk from becoming Interpol's next president, fearing that country's government would manipulate the job to punish Kremlin critics.

In the end, Interpol's general assembly elected South Korea's Kim Jong-yang as its new leader. He is taking the job after his predecessor, Meng Hongwei of China, was detained and accused of taking bribes by Chinese anti-corruption authorities in September.

"What I'm saying to the Canadian Parliament and the Canadian government is Canada should lead right now on suspending Russia from the Interpol system," he told The House on Thursday, the same day his testimony before the Public Safety committee was cut short due to a vote in the Commons. 

"All it takes is one country to take the lead here."

Canada did not endorse any candidate before the Interpol presidency vote earlier this week, but Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki, Canada's representative at the meetings, was "working assiduously" to defend Canada's interests in Interpol.

Browder restated his confidence that if Canada gets involved, it will make a difference. 

"Now is the time and something will come from it."

Canada's cold feet on Khashoggi case?

The Saudis denied for several days having involvement in Jamal Khashoggi's disappearance and killing. (Hasan Jamali/Associated Press)

In addition to discussing his ongoing battle with Russian officials, Browder spoke to host Chris Hall about the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, and the involvement of the Saudi government. 

He questioned why Canada appears to have pumped the brakes when it comes to confronting the kingdom about Khashoggi's death 

"If there was ever a case beyond the Magnitsky case that the Magnitsky Act should apply to, it's Jamal Khashoggi. There has to be consequences for the people who killed him." 

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