Countries Without Extradition 2022

When a person is charged or convicted of a crime in one nation but flees to another country, the first country’s judicial system may lawfully remove the individual and bring him or her back to the first country, where the country’s laws can process him or her.

Normally, the first country’s authorities cannot track them down after a person has crossed a national boundary.

Those who want to avoid arrest and cross into another nation often use this legal gap. To counter this strategy, extradition brings together the law enforcement authorities of both nations, allowing them to work together more effectively.

Extradition has become an increasingly important weapon for law enforcement authorities since technological improvements have allowed criminal groups to operate globally.

When a government has an extradition treaty with another country, it may use extradition to track down fugitives and other wanted offenders who are engaged in crimes including terrorist activity, counterfeiting, drug trafficking, and cybercrime.

How extradition accords are put to use

Expulsion from one nation to another is usually handled via an extradition treaty, which specifies the crimes that may and cannot be deported from one country to the other.

During the Vietnam War, the United States could not extradite Canadian draft evaders because the extradition treaty between the United States and Canada did not specify draft evasion as an extraditable felony.

As a result, Canadian authorities may detain anybody suspected of burglary or arson and pass them over to U.S. law enforcement. The request for and the procedure of extradition between nations are also detailed in extradition treaties.

Every country’s list of countries that do not extradite citizens is unique.

Treaties of extradition are bilateral agreements that only apply to a certain pair of nations.

An extradition pact with Canada would be pointless if someone traveled south to Mexico instead; therefore, the U.S. formed a second extradition treaty with that country to ensure that fugitives would be returned home.

There are 107 nations with that the United States has extradition agreements. The list of extradition treaties maintained by the United States may differ somewhat from those maintained by France, China, Russia, and other countries.

This is since each government must establish its extradition accords. Furthermore, depending on the nation in issue, any list of countries exempt from extradition would vary in scope.

Extradition-free countries

Because of the large number of nations recognized by the United Nations, there are surely countries that do not have an extradition treaty. People who are being hunted by law authorities typically find refuge in these nations.

There is no extradition agreement between the U.S. and China, for example. This implies that a person who has fled the United States after being arrested or convicted of a crime there cannot be extradited to the United States for prosecution or punishment.

Geopolitical and legal reasons may lead to extradition difficulties even in countries with treaties.

Extradition treaties exist between the United States and several nations, including Ecuador, Cuba, Bolivia, Nicaragua, Iceland, Switzerland, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe, all of whom have a history of denying extradition requests.

But despite the lack of a formal extradition pact, nations like Spain and Yemen are well-known for returning fugitives.

When an extradition treaty exists between two nations, the chances of extradition are greatly increased. Although the two nations involved do not have a formal treaty, extradition is feasible, although less likely.

In nations without a treaty or diplomatic ties, extradition is less probable. Any nation may refuse to comply with an extradition request regardless of the presence or absence of an extradition treaty or diplomatic ties.

Edward Snowden’s refusal to be extradited

After Edward Snowden disclosed secret material from the National Security Agency (NSA) in 2013, the narrative of his extradition to the United States is one of the most well-known in this area.

It took more than a month for officials from multiple nations to arrange Snowden’s safe passage or extradition from Moscow airport after he escaped Hong Kong for Russia.

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When Russia first proposed a treaty with the United States in which it asked for the mutual extradition of criminals, the U.S. did not agree to it; so there was no set precedence for Russia to follow.

On the other hand, Snowden had not breached any Russian criminal codes. Eventually, he was given political refuge in Russia, where he worked and started a non-profit in San Francisco, published a book that became a bestseller, and met his future wife. He is still living in Russia as of 2021.