Dirty Work
Sky News · Investigative Series
Presenter & Investigative Reporter
In Dirty Work, investigative journalist Sahar Zand explores how Interpol's Red Notice system, designed to track fugitives across borders, can be exploited by authoritarian governments and powerful individuals to pursue critics, dissidents and ordinary citizens around the world.
Drawing on cases across multiple countries and interviews with victims, lawyers, politicians, Interpol insiders and experts, Sahar investigates the human cost of Red Notice misuse, challenges Interpol's leadership over its safeguards, and examines how international policing mechanisms can become tools of transnational repression.
Sahar originated and developed the investigation independently, secured its commission at Sky News, and led the reporting for more than a year.The project grew into a multimedia body of work spanning an original podcast series, television reporting, digital video and written journalism.
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Trailer · Dirty Work
Introducing Dirty Work, an investigative multimedia series exploring the people caught in Interpol's Red Notice system, from ordinary individuals to dissidents pursued across borders.
Episode One · Russian Roulette
Sahar Zand investigates the lives upended by Interpol Red Notices, beginning with British engineer Brian Glendinning, imprisoned in Iraq over a debt in Qatar. Kremlin critic Bill Browder recounts Russia's repeated attempts to target him through Interpol, while Polish businessman Marek Zmyslowski describes his costly battle to clear his name after a business dispute in Nigeria.
READ · ‘I was thrown in jail with al Qaeda terrorists over a £4,000 debt’
Episode Two · Hijacked
As Brian Glendinning's case raises troubling questions about Interpol's safeguards, Sahar Zand secures a rare interview with Secretary General Jürgen Stock, challenging him over the continued misuse of Red Notices. Interpol expert Ted Bromund examines weaknesses in the system, while British Army veteran Grant recounts losing everything in Qatar despite never being convicted of a crime.
READ · Interpol boss defends Red Notice system amid allegations of misuse and abuse
Episode Three · Life Sentence
In Turkey, Sahar Zand meets Zeynure, whose husband, Uyghur activist Idris Hasan, has been imprisoned in Morocco while facing extradition to China. Sahar speaks to Idris from his prison cell as lawyers Rhys Davies and Ben Keith — authors of Red Notice Monitor — expose wider abuses of the Red Notice system. British MP Alicia Kearns raises Parliament's concerns over its use as a tool of transnational repression.
READ · Are authoritarian governments misusing Interpol Red Notices?
Episode Four · One of The Worst
In the final episode, Sahar Zand investigates the case of Jessica, a mother from El Salvador detained in the US for six years following a "bogus" Interpol red notice. The investigation examines allegations surrounding Interpol president Ahmed Naser Al-Raisi and questions over the organisation's governance, while UK security minister Tom Tugendhat discusses the need for stronger safeguards against abuse.
READ · ‘Bogus’ Interpol Red Notice kept El Salvador mum in US detention · NBC News collaboration
Selected Cross-Platform Reporting
Impact & Continuing Expertise
Dirty Work continued beyond the original series, feeding into wider debate around Interpol reform and the legal, political and media conversation around its misuse and transnational repression. The reporting has since been cited by journalists, legal scholars and specialist organisations, while Sahar has been invited internationally to speak and moderate on Red Notice abuse and transnational repression.
Exile Media Forum · Körber-Stiftung · Transnational Repression: Global Challenges, International Responses · Moderator
Defence Extradition Lawyers Forum · INTERPOL injustices: 100 not out, what next for the organisation? · Panelist
INTERPOL 92nd General Assembly · Glasgow · The Future of Interpol · Moderator
Harvard Civil Rights–Civil Liberties Law Review · Legal scholarship citing the investigation
Frontline Club · Transnational Repression on Journalism · Panelist
Selected Recognition & Coverage
Awards — Foreign Press Association (FPA) Media Awards 2023 · Freelance Journalism Awards 2024 — Best Investigation
Media interviews — Live NBC TV News · Sky News Daily Podcast · Freelancing for Journalists
International coverage — NBC News · The National
Specialist coverage — Red Notice Monitor
Credits
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Sahar Zand
Presenter & Investigative Reporter
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Heidi Pett
Producer
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Sarah Burke
Producer
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James Bradshaw
Sound Designer
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Paul Stanworth
Editor