A contract of extradition or extradition treaty is a duly signed document that covenants two or more nations to help transfer individuals who are wanted or sentenced in connection with a crime from one place to another for trial or punishment. These agreements outline the laws and regulations pertaining to extradition and specify the criteria that must be met by extradition requests, as well as defining the rights and protections of individuals subject to deportation.

Historical Background:
Extradition as an action has been known since ancient times when states, which were neighbours, would coordinate their activities to capture and return criminals who had fled justice. In the course of time, extradition developed into a more regular procedure regulated by international agreements that were either bilateral or multilateral because the problem of crime became global and demanded joint actions from nations regarding combating it as well as the punishment of offenders.

Key Components of Extradition Treaties:

Definition of Extraditable Offenses:
Extradition treaties generally provide for the categories of offenses that are extraditable. The types of offenses that qualify for extradition could be minor crimes such as theft, forgery, or embezzlement, while some can include high-level serious crimes like murder, terrorism, and drug trafficking depending on what the treaty dictates and how legal systems in both countries work.

Dual Criminality Requirement:
In the context of extradition law, the principle of dual criminality has been established as a prerequisite for the surrendering of an individual from one state to another. An extradition treaty generally requires the behaviour that brought about the offense to be illegal in both countries. The principle of dual criminality ensures that people are not extradited for conduct that is not considered criminal in the requested state.

Prohibition on Political Offenses:
One of the offenses that are excluded from extradition through an extradition treaty includes political crimes. This prohibition is aimed at avoiding the misuse of extradition for political reasons and ensuring that the rights of citizens in political actions are protected without intimidation with extradition threats.

Procedural Safeguards:
An extradition treaty defines the way to present and consider an application for extradition, in addition to safeguards in place to secure the rights of individuals subjected to extradition. Such provisions may include the provisions for extradition hearings, the right to legal counsel, and the possibility of review by a judge to ensure that those procedures meet international standards for the protection of human rights and due process.

Rule of Specialty:
One of these rules, known as the rule of specialty, prevents the host state from prosecuting or punishing the surrendered person for crimes other than those specified in the extradition request. This important principle serves to prevent individuals from being exposed to supplementary charges or punishments exceeding what has been authorized by the requesting state.

Non-Discrimination:
Treaties for extradition often contain a prohibition on discrimination based on nationality, race, or other unreasonable criteria during the procedure of extradition. Such provisions serve as a guarantee of fairness and equality in the implementation of justice in proceedings of this nature.

Process of Extradition:
The extradition process can be described as the sequence of events that occur when one country requests the transfer of an individual from another country. It involves a number of steps, including the submission of an extradition request by the requesting state to the requested state, review, and evaluation of the request by authorities in the requested state, and determination of whether there is sufficient evidence to support extradition proceedings. The process also encompasses legal hearings, judicial decisions, and appeals that may take place before a final decision on extradition is reached.

The request for extradition normally sets in motion after the asking country submits a formal extradition application to the requested nation. This application should include a full disclosure of the crime along with supportive evidence and details about the sought person, such as name, identification, and whereabouts.

In its turn, the receiving state upon receipt of such an extradition request examines the legal and procedural prerequisites of the process to assess the appropriateness of extradition. This might entail judicial control to verify whether the demands of the extradition treaty and internal legislation are met.

In the event that all the elements required for legal extradition are proven, the country where the individual is currently staying might be given authority to carry out the arrest and detention of that person, pending an extradition hearing. The person also possesses a right to oppose an application for extraditing him or her by resorting to legal remedies which would include having hearings before duly authorized judicial officers.

When the extradition is accepted, the nation that requested the extradition will then organize the transfer of the individual back to their home country under terms specified in the extradition treaty. This process often entails coordination among law enforcement organizations, immigration departments, and other appropriate bodies to guarantee the secure and legal delivery of a person who has been accused or convicted of a crime.

Challenges and Controversies:
While extradition treaties play a crucial role in enhancing collaboration on criminal issues at the international level, their implications pose challenges and give rise to disagreements as well:

Human Rights Concerns:
The extradition treaties give rise to concerns over human rights, especially when people may be subject to torture, grossly unfair trials, or other violations of their rights in the requesting state. The non-refoulement principle forbids extradition to countries where there is a high likelihood of torture or other forms of persecution.

Political Considerations:
Human intelligence has shown that the demand for extradition may be affected by political factors, such as unjustifiable or even motivated, selective, and politically used criminal prosecutions, which result from it. This can impair the efficacy of the extradition system and decrease the trust of citizens in the due process rights.

Legal Complexity:
Juridical complexities of the extradition procedures can arise within the frameworks of different legislations and jurisdictions and are composed of numerous requirements in terms of legal, systemic, and procedural bases. Contentious legal interpretations, jurisdictional conflicts, or disputes arising from other procedural matters may also prolong the process of extradition, consequently delaying the resolution of cases.

Extradition of Nationals:
The situation in some states, where they do not extradite their citizens, has also raised concerns about the equal application of the law and whether extradition treaties are truly a tool to combat transnational crime. This practice, known as aut dedere aut judicare or non-surrender, is where countries must prosecute or extradite their nationals for certain crimes that have been committed outside their territories.

Misuse of Extradition Treaty:
The misuse of extradition treaties can occur when they are exploited for political, rather than legal, purposes. Governments may abuse extradition processes to target individuals who pose a political threat or to suppress dissenting voices, violating principles of justice and human rights.

One common form of misuse is "extradition by proxy," where countries with strong diplomatic ties or economic interests collude to extradite individuals on dubious charges. This undermines the integrity of the extradition process and erodes trust in the rule of law.

Furthermore, extradition treaties may lack sufficient safeguards against political interference or guarantee fair trial rights in the receiving country. This leaves individuals vulnerable to unfair treatment, including arbitrary detention, torture, or denial of due process.

High-profile cases, such as those involving journalists, activists, or whistleblowers, often highlight the dangers of extradition abuse. These individuals may face persecution or retribution in the requesting country, making extradition a tool for silencing dissent and stifling freedom of expression.

There is an instance where the misuse of an extradition treaty occurs, and this is when a political dissident or a human rights activist is requested for extradition by their government on false charges, mainly aimed at silencing dissenting voices. The requesting government may resort to using diplomatic relations or economic advantages to ensure that such people are taken back to their country, without considering whether they will have a fair hearing in court or even their safety. In such cases, they promote the opposite results of extradition so that it becomes a weapon of political persecution instead of legitimate legal cooperation between nations; trust in the system of justice erodes, and fundamental human rights are violated.

To prevent misuse, extradition treaties must be grounded in principles of transparency, accountability, and respect for human rights. Legal safeguards should be strengthened to ensure that extradition is not used as a political weapon and that individuals are protected from arbitrary or unjust prosecution. Additionally, international oversight mechanisms can help monitor compliance with treaty obligations and hold accountable those who seek to abuse the extradition process for their own ends.

Conclusion:
In order to establish an understanding of how criminals can be pursued in international cross-border and ensure their responsibility before the law, extradition treaties are a significant means of strengthening cooperation between countries in preventing crimes. By creating legal structures and processes through which suspected or convicted individuals are transported from one jurisdiction to another, extradition treaties make it easier to perform judicial activities while protecting human rights. Yet this is also a rather complicated phenomenon with many political and ethical dimensions that should be analysed cautiously to guarantee that nobody will undergo injustices because of this process.

Written By: Md.Imran Wahab, IPS, IGP, Provisioning, West Bengal
Email: [email protected], Ph no: 9836576565