Interpol holds meeting in Istanbul to elect new president

By AYSE WIETING and SUZAN FRASER

ISTANBUL (AP) — Interpol is holding its General Assembly in Istanbul to discuss security threats and to hold a closely watched election for the international policing body’s new leadership. The election for a president is being followed especially closely since the body’s first-ever Chinese president, Meng Hongwei, vanished on a return trip to China in 2018. The vote is also the subject of added controversy because representatives from China and the United Arab Emirates are bidding for top posts. Critics contend that their countries would use Interpol’s global reach to apprehend exiled dissidents and even political opponents at home. The vote is scheduled to be held on Thursday.