INTERPOL’s Mandate and Human Rights 25. INTERPOL’s aim, as defined by Article 2 of its Constitution, is to promote the widest possible mutual cooperation between police forces, in the detection and suppression of ‘ordinary-law crime’. INTERPOL does not have a human rights mandate, but Article 2 of the Constitution makes it clear that its activities should be carried out ‘in the spirit of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights’.12 ‘Ordinary-law crime’ is defined with reference to Article 3 of the Constitution, which forbids INTERPOL from engaging in any ‘intervention or activities of a political, military, religious, or racial character.13 In addition to protecting the political neutrality of the organisation, INTERPOL recognises that one of the primary objectives of Article 3 is to protect individuals from persecution.14 27. If INTERPOL’s activities pursue its goal in accordance with Articles 2 and 3 of its Constitution, the human impact on those subject to alerts will not normally constitute human rights infringements. Internationally-recognised human rights standards allow justified interference with most human rights for the prevention of crime, and international police cooperation represents an important aspect of this. Conversely, where INTERPOL steps outside its remit, these interferences are no longer justified. The potentially severe human consequences of INTERPOL’s activities require that it must be diligent in ensuring that use of its systems is restricted to legitimate purposes. 26. Together, these two provisions define INTERPOL’s remit. INTERPOL helps police forces cooperate, but in doing so, it should respect international human rights standards, and it must be strictly neutral on matters regarding politics, race, and religion, and it should not facilitate persecution. These are not just overarching guiding principles of the organisation, they also have practical implications for INTERPOL’s day-to-day activities, including on the issuance of INTERPOL alerts. Under the Rules on the Processing of Data, which regulate data processing by INTERPOL and NCBs, all data processed through INTERPOL’s systems must comply with Articles 2 and 3 of the Constitution.15 In other words, INTERPOL Notices and Diffusions must not violate human rights, and they must not be used for political purposes. INTERPOL’s Constitution was adopted in 1956, when the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was the only major international human rights instrument in existence. 13 RPD, Article 1(1) 14 Repository of Practice on Article 3, 2.2 15 RPD, Article 11, 34 12 16