On February 17, 2021, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) unsealed an indictment and returned by a grand jury in the Central District of California, charging the same DPRK programmer, as well as two newly-identified DPRK conspirators, with a campaign of cyber heists and extortion schemes, targeting both traditional currencies and cryptocurrencies.[1]

On February 17, 2021, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) unsealed an indictment and returned by a grand jury in the Central District of California, charging the same DPRK programmer, as well as two newly-identified DPRK conspirators, with a campaign of cyber heists and extortion schemes, targeting both traditional currencies and cryptocurrencies.[1]

During the past several years, the number of cases involving INTERPOL Red Notices and diffusions before the U.S. immigration courts has risen significantly. This suggests that the number of individuals subject to government requests disseminated through INTERPOL who seek asylum or other immigration relief in the U.S. has also increased. The U.S. government’s handling of visa applications is generally not subject to judicial review, and there is no publicly available and reliable data on the number of U.S. visas denied or revoked due to INTERPOL alerts. 

On February 12, 2021, Giovonni Pope, 27, arrived in the United States to face charges for the alleged murder of his mother, a Department of Defense civilian employee working in Bahrain.[1]

On February 13, 2021, Reuters reported that Turkey arrested Mohammad Reza Naserzadeh, 43, an Iranian official, on suspicions that he helped plan the killing of Masoud Malvi Vradanjani, a critic of the Iranian political and military leadership.[1] On February 11, 2021, Freedom House released a report on transnational repression by certain countries, such as Iran, against their dissidents abroad.[2]

On January 20, 2021, the European Parliament (EP) adopted its resolution with recommendations to the European Commission on the implementation of the European Arrest Warrant (EAW) and the surrender procedures between Member States.[1] The resolution was based on a report submitted by the EP Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs.[2]

On February 5, 2021, Pre-Trial Chamber I of the International Criminal Court (ICC or Court) decided, by majority, that the Court's territorial jurisdiction in the Situation in the State of Palestine, a State party to the ICC Rome Statute, extends to the territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.[1]

                On January 25, 2021, Mohamed Surur, a Kenyan citizen, arrived in the United States, after Kenya extradited him. Kenyan authorities arrested Surur on July 29, 2020, in Mombasa, Kenya, on U.S. charges of conspiracy to traffic in rhinoceros horns and elephant ivory. Both derivatives come from endangered wildlife species. He allegedly participated in illegal poaching of more than approximately 35 rhinoceros and more than 10 elephants. The indictment also charged him with conspiracy to commit money laundering and conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than 10 kilograms of heroin.[1]

On January 25, 2021, the British and British Virgin Islands (BVI) governments announced a commission of inquiry will investigate alleged corruption in the BVI. In his last days as governor of the BVI, Gus Jaspert made a Facebook video post accusing the island’s government of overseeing a “plague” of corruption, interfering in the criminal justice system, and trying to silence anyone who asked questions about the misuse of funds, including £ 30 million to assist the BVI combat the coronavirus pandemic. The announcement occurs at a time when reports say the EU is preparing to blacklist the BVI as a tax haven.[1]

On January 25, 2021, Michael Pearse, an Australian national, and Yongchao Liu, a Chinese national, arrived in the United States after Australia extradited them. An indictment charges them of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft. Pearse is also charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering, arising from the defendants’ participation in a scheme to charge mobile phone customers millions of dollars in monthly fees for unsolicited, recurring text messages about topics such as horoscopes, celebrity gossip, and trivia facts, with the customers’ knowledge or consent. This practice is known as “auto-subscribing.”[1]