The International Enforcement Law Reporter

The International Enforcement Law Reporter is a monthly print and online journal covering news and trends in international enforcement law.

Since September 1985, the International Enforcement Law Reporter has analyzed the premier developments in both the substantive and procedural aspects of international enforcement law. Read by practitioners, academics, and politicians, the IELR is a valuable guide to the difficult and dynamic field of international law.

The Appeal of Ousman Sonko: Universal Jurisdiction, Crimes Against Humanity, and the Long Reach of International Justice

Friday, April 17, 2026
Author: 
Aniska Manojkumar
Volume: 
42
Issue: 
5
Abstract: 

On March 30, 2026, Ousman Sonko—a former Interior Minister of The Gambia—appeared before the Higher Appeals Chamber of the Swiss Federal Criminal Court in Bellinzona to challenge his 2024 conviction for crimes against humanity.

FinCEN Proposes Special Measures against MBaer Merchant Bank in Switzerland

Friday, April 17, 2026
Author: 
Bruce Zagaris
Volume: 
42
Issue: 
5
Abstract: 

On March 2, 2026, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) of the United States (U.S.) Department of the Treasury proposed special measures concerning MBaer Merchant Bank AG, a financial institution operating outside the U.S., as a primary money laundering concern.

Former Australian Soldier Charged with War Crimes

Friday, April 17, 2026
Author: 
Austin Wahl
Volume: 
42
Issue: 
5
Abstract: 

On April 7, 2026, Australian authorities charged a former elite soldier, Ben Roberts-Smith, on Tuesday with five counts of war crimes—specifically murder—related to the deaths of Afghan nationals between 2009 and 2012. Roberts-Smith has already suffered a loss in civil court on the matter when he brought a defamation suit against nine newspapers that ran the story.

Vietnamese National Pleads Guilty in Malaysia to Possessing Protected Wildlife Parts

Friday, April 17, 2026
Author: 
Bruce Zagaris
Volume: 
42
Issue: 
5
Abstract: 

On April 11, 2026, Hoang Van Thai, 39, a Vietnamese man, pleaded guilty to two charges of possessing protected wildlife parts without a license. Hoang Van Thai was convicted of possessing 1,022 gall bladders and 191 tongues of reticulated pythons, a protected wildlife species under the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010, without a license.

FinCEN Proposes Rules for Whistleblowers under the Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2020

Friday, April 10, 2026
Author: 
Bruce Zagaris
Volume: 
42
Issue: 
5
Abstract: 

On March 30, 2026, the United States (U.S.) Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) sent to the Federal Register a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to implement a whistleblower program by creating a framework to offer incentives and protections to encourage individuals to report information on fraud-related violations of the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA), U.S. sanctions programs managed by Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), and several other laws vital to protecting the U.S. financial system and national security.

Cambodia Extradites Former Leader of Cambodian Financial Conglomerate to China and Passes Legislation to Stop Online Scams

Friday, April 10, 2026
Author: 
Bruce Zagaris
Volume: 
42
Issue: 
5
Abstract: 

On April 1, 2026, Cambodia extradited Li Xiong, a former leader at a Cambodian financial conglomerate accused of money laundering and being a core member of Chinese-Cambodian businessman Chen Zhiu’s criminal financial network.[1] On April 3, Cambodia’s parliament enacted the first law devoted to targeting scam centers accused of defrauding international victims.

U.S. Mercenaries Face Lawsuit for War Crimes in Yemen

Friday, April 3, 2026
Author: 
Gavin Neff
Volume: 
42
Issue: 
4
Abstract: 

Anssaf Ali Mayo, a Yemeni citizen, parliamentarian, and prominent member of the al-Islah party, brought a lawsuit against Hungarian-Israeli Abraham Golan and Americans Isaac Gilmore and Dale Comstock, all former executives or employees of Spear Operations Group, a private military company incorporated in Delaware.

A 93-Year-Old Former Belgian Diplomat Faces Trial for Crimes Committed in the Congo and the Effectiveness of International Law Enforcement for Colonial Era Crimes

Friday, April 3, 2026
Author: 
Dimitris Konstantopoulos
Volume: 
42
Issue: 
4
Abstract: 

In March 2026, a Brussels court ordered a former Belgian diplomat, Étienne Davignon, to face trial for war crimes for his role in the 1961 assassination of Patrice Lumumba, an anticolonial and socialist activist and the first prime minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

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