Definition

Noun: The formal process by which one jurisdiction (such as a country or state) surrenders a person who is accused or convicted of a crime to another jurisdiction that has legal authority to prosecute or punish that person. This process is typically governed by specific laws or international treaties between the involved parties.

Usage

"Extradition" is a formal, legal term used in international law and criminal justice. It refers to the official procedure, not the act of simply sending someone away. The word is most commonly used in contexts involving governments, courts, and international relations.

Examples

• The suspect fled across the border, so the authorities began the lengthy process of extradition.
• The treaty between the two countries allows for the extradition of individuals charged with serious crimes like murder and fraud.
• His lawyers are fighting his extradition back to the United States, claiming he will not receive a fair trial.

Advanced Usage

• To be subject to extradition: To be eligible or liable to be extradited.
  • Crimes punishable by more than one year in prison are usually subject to extradition under the treaty.
• Extradition request/order/hearing: Common collocations describing parts of the legal process.
  • The judge signed the extradition order, paving the way for his transfer.
  • The defense presented new evidence at the extradition hearing.

Variants and Related Words

• Extradite (verb): To hand over (a person accused or convicted of a crime) to the jurisdiction of another country or state.
  • The government agreed to extradite the financier to face charges.
• Extraditable (adjective): (Of a crime or person) making someone liable to extradition.
  • Drug trafficking is an extraditable offense under the agreement.

Synonyms

• Deportation: The action of expelling a foreigner from a country. (Note: Deportation is typically an administrative immigration action, while extradition is a judicial criminal law process between sovereign entities.)
• Repatriation: The return of someone to their own country. (Note: This often refers to refugees, prisoners of war, or remains, not specifically to criminals for trial.)
• Surrender: The formal term used in the legal definition of extradition.

Antonyms

• Asylum: The protection granted by a nation to someone who has fled their native country as a political refugee.
• Non-refoulement: The principle in international law that prohibits a country from returning a refugee to a place where they would face persecution.

Related Phrases

• To fight/contest extradition: To legally challenge the process of being sent to another jurisdiction.
  • The accused has vowed to fight extradition all the way to the highest court.
• To be/extradited to/from a country: The standard prepositional use.
  • He was finally extradited from Brazil to Italy.

Noun

1. the surrender of an accused or convicted person by one state or country to another (usually under the provisions of a statute or treaty)