On February 22, 2021, the Foreign Affairs Council of the European Union, the organ bringing together the Member States’ Ministers for Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Development, debated, among other matters, the situation in the Russian Federation. Participants took the view that the country is moving towards becoming an authoritarian State and distances itself from the European values of rule of law, democracy, and human rights.[1] Discussions concerned how relations with Russia could develop within the so-called “five guiding principles,” agreed by EU Foreign Ministers and the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy in March 2016,[2] and focused on, inter alia, pushing back on Russia’s infringements of international law and human rights.[3] In particular, they agreed to: (a) work on future “restrictive measures” (a term which is euphemism for sanctions) to respond to serious violations of human rights committed by the Russian government and (b) increase support for those defending political and civil freedoms in the county.[4] Without naming anyone in particular, the latter reference primarily concerned Alexei Navalny,[5] a Russian opposition politician and leader of the Russia of the Future party. The EU had already castigated the early February 2021 judgment of a Russian court of justice ordering a custodial sentence against Navalny and had promised “possible further action” against the Russian government.[6] This action, which was adopted for the first time under the new EU’s sanctioning regime targeting specifically human rights abuses worldwide (EU ‘Magnitsky Act’) in late February 2021, is the focus of this article.  

On February 25, 2021, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) issued a report, urging governments to target the professional enablers who actively pursue opportunities for, and hide the commission of tax crimes and other financial crimes, in order to disrupt a crucial part of the planning and pursuit of criminal activity.[1]

On February 22, 2021, United States law enforcement authorities arrested Emma Coronel Aispuro, the wife of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman Loera, the head of the Sinaloa Cartel. She was arrested at Dulles Airport in Virginia for her alleged involvement in international drug trafficking.[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]

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]