The official process by which one country or state sends a person accused or convicted of a crime back to another country or state where the crime was committed. It is done under legal agreements between governments.
From French *extradition*, from Latin *ex-* (‘out’) and *traditio* ‘a handing over’, from *tradere* ‘to hand over’. It literally means a handing over to the outside.
Extradition treats borders like temporary walls: if you run across one, you’re not necessarily safe, because countries can agree to hand you back. The process is as much political as legal, which is why high-profile extradition cases can drag on for years.
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