On December 16, 2021, Kibwe Ngoie-Ntombe, an Australian national living in Kelowna, British Colombia, pleaded guilty to charges of willful promotion of hatred arising from videos the defendant circulated online.  He allegedly made threats towards people living in the Katanga region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).[1]

On January 13, 2022, in a case that could set a precedent for other countries a German Court in Koblenz sentenced a former Syrian intelligence officer to life in prison for crimes against humanity, in the first criminal case over state-sponsored torture in Syria.[1]

On January 14, 2022, Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) announced that it conducted raids on and arrested fourteen alleged members of the ransomware crime group REvil at the request of the United States.[1]

On January 14, 2022, Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) announced that it conducted raids on and arrested fourteen alleged members of the ransomware crime group REvil at the request of the United States.[1]

On January 14, 2022, Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) announced that it conducted raids on and arrested fourteen alleged members of the ransomware crime group REvil at the request of the United States.[1]

On December 21, 2021, the European Data protection Supervisor (EDPS), an EU privacy and data protection independent supervisory authority, issued a decision, ordering Europol to erase personal data on individuals that have not been linked to criminal activity.[1]  Europol had resisted the decision in a series of dialogues with the EDPS.  This article discusses the decision and the impact on Europol.

On January 11, 2022, pursuant to a forfeiture action filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, James H. Clark, a significant collector of Cambodian antiquities, agreed to return 35 pieces to Cambodia.[1]

The upcoming Libyan presidential election is thought to be a crucial factor in bringing the country political stability and ending its 10-year crisis.  In December 2021, the Tripolis Appeals Court approved Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, son of the late dictator Huammar Gadaffi, to run in the upcoming presidential election.[1]  Experts believe that Saif al-Islam may be able to win the support of Libyans that yearn for the stability of his father’s regime before the civil war.  Other Libyans are outraged that Saif al-Islam can run in the election despite his prior conviction for war crimes during the revolution. 

On December 22, 2022, the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol) and the Korean National Policy Agency of the Republic of Korea (South Korea) signed a Working Arrangement to support the EU members and the South Korean government in preventing and combating serious crime and terrorism. This article discusses the arrangement in the context of similar Europol arrangements.[1]

John Habeta, a Dutchman of Eritrean descent, was extradited from Kenya to The Netherlands on December 25, 2021 following his capture in an INTERPOL operation for the smuggling of African migrants, mostly Eritreans, into Europe.  The Dutchman’s capture and extradition come after a pursuit lasting for over four years, as INTERPOL has considered Habeta a wanted man since 2017.^[1]  In October 2020, Habeta was labeled a high priority target after multiple countries alerted INTERPOL’s National Central Bureau (NCB) in The Hague with new leads on his activities and whereabouts.^[2]