The Political Offender Exception in International Extradition Law: Terrorism Versus Human Rights

The political offense exception in the law of international extradition is one of the issues over which the justifiability of terrorist violence is being debated. The evolution of the political offender exception is sketched and the provisions of the 1986 Supplementary Treaty between the United States and the United Kingdom, which effectively eliminated the political offender exception for violent offenders, are outlined. The debate over the merits of the Treaty then is summarized. A concluding analysis suggests that limited violence is justified in defense of democracy and fundamental human rights and that the political offender exception should be interpreted so as to promote these values.