I’m watching NatGeo’s show, Locked Up Abroad. There are many stories of people going to prison in foreign countries for drug smuggling or something, then they escape to another country and are somehow free. Once escaping, why isn’t the new country sending them back to jail? And then they’re broadcasting their escape on TV… why can’t the original country they fled from, order them back to prison in their country?
For example, this guy escaped from a Turkish prison and went on Greek territory and was suddenly a free man. (Billy Hayes, the guy they made the Midnight Express movie on)
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Countries cant even agree on what the laws are, let alone what the punishments should be.
A good example is Treason, say you get arrested in North Korea for Treason, and you manage to escape to the US. Whatever “treason” you may have committed is almost certainly irrelevant to the US. And if NK asks the US “Hey, send us back our traitor!” The US replies “Get Bent.” and ignores it.
So in general, once you escape the country you are wanted in, you are free. No other country recognizes the crime, or has a record of it.
Now, this is the general case, there are specific cases called extradition treaties where two countries agree on what they both consider illegal and under what circumstances they will “export” criminals. Generally it is mutual.
But, each pair of countries has to sign a treaty.
I cant find any information about Turkeys Extradition treaties, but I would guess they just dont have one with Greece (or at the time of the show)
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