INTERPOL
“With great power comes great responsibility”; a famous quote you must have heard at some point in your life. In matters relating to truth and justice, as delegates of INTERPOL, you have the power and responsibility of upholding these two aspects with the utmost fierceness and drive. Delegates, it is important that you recognize how important your role is and how significant you are in creating change within our very world. In a world full of criminals, it is our duty as The International Criminal Police Organization to help the innocent, and condemn the ones who are meant to face justice.
If you believe INTERPOL to be like any other committee, you are certainly mistaken. This committee holds an extraordinary mix of two core components of MUN. Heated debates will be common, so come prepared and be ready to speak your mind, and influence change. This year, ladies and gentlemen, we will be debating 2 major topics:
Investigating alleged cyber crimes committed by Julian Assange and Combatting Ndrangheta organized crime. Therefore, during this conference, I strongly encourage you to prepare and embrace the importance of law in our world. I implore you to commit yourself to making arguments that will enable us all to build a just, safe, and equitable world.
My name is Perla Hijazin, a junior at The National Orthodox School, and with that it is
my pleasure, as your President, to welcome you all to INTERPOL.
Topic 1: Investigating alleged cyber crimes committed by Julian Assange.
Julian Assange is a prominent figure known for his role in the founding of WikiLeaks, an organization dedicated to publishing confidential and classified information from governments, corporations, and other entities. Assange's life has been marked by controversy, legal battles, and a passionate commitment to transparency and free speech.
Assange is accused of working with Chelsea Manning, then a US Army intelligence analyst, to break into the defense department network in March 2010 to obtain classified documents. Manning has access to the Department of Defense computers which were connected to the Secret Internet Protocol Network (SIPRNet), a U.S. government network used for classified documents and communications. Manning was downloading sensitive documents to provide to WikiLeaks using the computers. The majority of these classified documents were from 2007 to 2010, although some of them went back to 1966. Many suspected that the data being published was mainly the government practice of selectively implementing laws to punish individuals who oppose them.
Amongst the confidential documents leaked by WikiLeaks included the full identities of unredacted informants who sent intelligence to US military personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as US State Department officials living abroad. Residents, journalists, religious authorities, human rights activists, political dissidents from oppressive regimes, and Afghans and Iraqis were among these human sources.
Computer crime laws are particularly suitable for this kind of politicization, as we can see in Assange's case and many others before it. Assange is portrayed as a malicious hacker and is being accused of conspiring to break the law on computer crimes but is this really the case? It is your role as the delegates of Interpol to conclude whether Assange is truly the criminal mastermind he’s being painted as, or is he an innocent man helping others seek justice by exposing covert government activities.
Topic 2: Combatting ‘Ndrangheta organized crime.
The 'Ndrangheta has grown to be not only the most potent mafia in Italy but also among the biggest and most advanced criminal groups globally. This secret organization is a crime group that engages in many illicit activities, including drug trafficking, extortion, money laundering, and more. to combat complex criminal organizations effectively. The group's interests span from economic activity, seemingly lawful ventures in waste management, and green energy, to the construction of illicit operations involving extortion, fraud, high-level corruption, and the trafficking of both people and weapons. The worldwide drug trafficking from South America to Australia and Europe was the main focus of the Italian criminal network. Furthermore, the ‘Ndrangheta clans were involved in global arms trafficking, providing weapons to a criminal group PCC (Primeiro Commando da Capital) in exchange for cocaine shipments.
Specialized units within INTERPOL, such as the Organized and Emerging Crime unit, are dedicated to the relentless pursuit of organized crime. One of the critical tools in INTERPOL's arsenal is the issue of notices, notably Red Notices, which are international requests for the location and arrest of individuals sought by a member country for extradition. This powerful tool can be used to target and apprehend key figures within organized crime networks, including the ‘Ndrangheta.
INTERPOL does not merely fight organized crime; it also empowers others to do so. The organization provides training and capacity-building programs that enhance the skills and knowledge of law enforcement agencies. These programs are vital in equipping member countries with the necessary expertise. Moreover, INTERPOL extends technical support, offering law enforcement agencies access to its secure communication network to facilitate investigations and information sharing. It is a crucial resource for agencies engaged in the complex and often high-stakes battle against organized crime groups.
Will this be the end of ‘Ndrangheta’s crimes?
Study Guides
Delegate’s Guide
INTERPOL Guide