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extradition

nounC1Common in everyday speech and writing · #7,420 of 15,258neutral

Extradition is sending an accused person back to face trial abroad. An extradition treaty, fight extradition, extradition proceedings.

It works by treaty between states, and most treaties require dual criminality — the act must be an offence in both countries — and refuse extradition for political offences or where the death penalty may follow. Proceedings routinely take years. Note extradite as the verb; and that a country will generally not extradite its own citizens, which is why the rules differ so much between systems.

Definitions of extradition

  1. 1nounextraditionSending an accused person back to face trial abroad.C1

    “The country refused the request for his extradition to the United States.”

extradition is a legal transfer.

Where it comes from

French extradition is ex- plus traditio, a handing over, from tradere, to hand across. Tradition and treason come from the same handing over.

  1. French

    extradition

  2. English, today

    extradition

From French extradition, itself from Latin ex- + traditio.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practised in Crime & Law

Practise this word

extradition in the wild

  • Branstad, federal courts may also use the Extradition Clause to require the extradition of fugitives.

    Article Four of the United States Constitution

  • In an extradition process, one sovereign jurisdiction makes a formal request to another sovereign jurisdiction ("the requested state").

    Extradition

  • If the fugitive is found within the territory of the requested state, then the requested state may arrest the fugitive and subject them to its extradition process.

    Extradition

  • On 16 October 2012, after a series of legal proceedings in Britain, then Home Secretary Theresa May blocked extradition to the United States.

    Gary McKinnon

  • For foreign countries, the extradition process is regulated by treaty and conducted between the federal government of the United States and the government of a foreign country.

    Extradition law in the United States

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From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.