Dirty Work

Dirty Work

It's a system which is meant to enable police forces to flag their most wanted persons at international borders around the world. But, for some, Interpol's red notices have had devastating consequences - they're detained, imprisoned, and extradited, after being wrongly targeted.Sahar Zand investigates the red notice system - and gets a rare chance to speak to the organisation's Secretary General. Regular people, dissidents and Interpol insiders explain how bad actors have been able - in some cases - to hijack the system to capture people beyond their borders.

Episodes

September 30, 2024 1 min
Sky News’ Yalda Hakim and NBC’s Richard Engel have covered world events for years. Now, they team up for a new podcast to share their experiences from the frontline.    

They debrief from global flashpoints and discuss their encounters with the biggest decision makers. They’ll also be joined by some of those key players to help make sense of world events.  

From conflict in the Middle East, to the US election, and the war in Ukraine ...
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Warning: This episode contains descriptions of torture

In our final episode, Sahar Zand tells the story of Jessica, who spent six years in US detention because of a "bogus" Interpol red notice issued after she was harassed by a police officer in her home country, El Salvador.

The US has specific legislation to prevent Interpol being used for transnational repression, but immigration authorities appear to ignore guidance not to arre...
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August 2, 2023 42 mins
In this episode, Sahar Zand goes back to speak to Brian Glendinning about his experience in Iraqi jail, and the harrowing impact of his unforeseen arrest. But Brian, compared to some people, is still lucky.

For dissidents and opposition figures around the world, the Red Notice is the latest tool for transnational repression by autocratic governments. These people often end up in prison indefinitely, or extradited to the countries th...
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July 27, 2023 40 mins
In this episode, Sahar Zand continues to follow Brian Glendinning's story - whose Interpol Red Notice raises significant questions about how the system works.

Brian found himself in a dangerous prison in a country he'd never been to - because of a small amount of debt in Qatar. His case poses bigger questions about what kind of justice Interpol Red Notices serve.

Sahar also speaks to Interpol Secretary General Jurgen Stock who has u...
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July 19, 2023 34 mins
In the first of three episodes, Sahar Zand meets the ordinary people who say their lives have been upturned by Interpol Red Notices which should never have been issued. These people never knew there was a Red Notice out for them, until they tried to cross a border. And then their lives changed forever.

She meets John Glendinning as he is frantically trying to connect with his brother Brian, who is calling from inside a prison in Bag...
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July 15, 2023 2 mins
Sahar Zand presents Dirty Work - a podcast series from Sky News about what happens when Red Notices go wrong. We speak to the people who are caught in the gears of a global police information system, operated by Interpol, which enables police forces to flag their most wanted persons at international borders around the world. In some cases, those people are detained, imprisoned, and extradited, with devastating consequences.

In its ...
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