In Re Extradition of Strunk

ORDER

Introduction and Summary

Roger Lawrence Strunk, a United States citizen, is in custody pursuant to a complaint and warrant of provisional arrest issued on May 12, 2003, seeking Strunk’s extradition to the Republic of the Philippines. The Philippines requests a certificate of extradition, pursuant to an extradition treaty between the Philippines and the United States, so that Strunk may stand trial in the Philippines for the murder of Nida Blanca.

Extradition proceedings are ones of extreme sensitivity between sovereigns. No country should allow a citizen or resident to avoid foreign, legitimate criminal proceedings simply by reason of absence from the seeking country. Especially after September 11, 2001, countries should be sensitive to harboring accused criminals, or worse yet, terrorists, because world order depends on international respect for the legitimate laws of individual sovereign nations. Failure to respect extradition requests can lead to animosity between the countries involved, including undignified reciprocity in the form of rejected extradition requests sought by the previously rejecting country.

However, all provisions of the extradition treaty must be…