Speaking to PAP, police spokesperson Katarzyna Nowak explained that Interpol did “not allow for the processing of data through its channels for activities against state security which are defined as political crimes.”

A Red Notice is defined by Interpol as being “a request to law enforcement worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition, surrender or similar legal action.”

Interpol’s website stresses that a Red Notice is an international alert for a wanted person but should not be mistaken for an arrest warrant. “Red Notices are important because they are used to simultaneously alert police in all our member countries about internationally wanted fugitives,” they add.

A motion to add Szmydt’s name to Interpol’s Red Notice list was filed at the end of May by the Polish Prosecutor’s Office after the judge fled to Belarus. Since then, he has faced accusations of working for a foreign intelligence service.