[Lauchenoiria]

Lauchenoirian Guardian

Controversial extradition law scrapped by Parliament
7th November 2019

The controversial Extraditions Act (2019), which was passed on the 1st August this year, has been repealed by Parliament after extensive debate. The law, which allowed for the extradition of individuals from Lauchenoiria to countries which use the death penalty in certain circumstances, generated large amounts of controversy last summer, when it was hurriedly passed in response to a wave of high-profile extradition requests from Xiomera, Kerlile and Shuell.

The law allowed the President of Lauchenoiria to sign an order approving the extradition to a country which actively uses capital punishment, defined as having carried out a judicially-sanctioned execution within the last 5 years and retaining capital punishment on the statute books, under certain conditions. The individual must have been over 21, must have committed a violent crime, and the country in question must have given assurances in writing that the individual will not be executed.

Protests took place in Buttercity and Usera following the passage of the Act, and government approval ratings plummeted during the affair, with many accusing the administration of being in the pocket of dictatorships. President Alex Marwick caused controversy after signing orders approving the extradition of Jasmine Eddington to Kerlile and Peter Bloch to Shuell. The Eddington order was later overturned in court. Eddington was later killed in a plane crash after being extradited to Sanctaria following a request.

Peter Bloch was returned to Shuell, where little of his fate was known until yesterday, when it transpired that Bloch was part of a program in Shuell allowing prisoners to compete in the Olympics and earn a pardon if a medal was won. Mr. Bloch came 3rd in the men’s 800m, being pardoned and given a medal for Exceptional Service to the State. This will come as welcome news to the 72% of Lauchenoirians who opposed his extradition, according to opinion polls carried out in August.

Parliament voted by 87 votes to 12, with 21 abstentions, to scrap the unpopular law, leading to celebrations by demonstrators outside the Parliament building. One Green MP called the law a “terrible mistake, that we should be ashamed of”. Following the repeal of the Extraditions Act, it will once more be illegal for Lauchenoiria to extradite to any country which uses the death penalty – including Xiomera, Kerlile, Shuell and Shen. The government has explicitly stated they do not intend to change the law again.

Prime Minister Alvarez welcomed the change, saying: “the passage of the Extraditions Act was a mistake, and I am pleased that we have today corrected it. The actions taken in the summer have brought great shame upon our nation, and we must make sure nothing similar can ever happen again. We must strive to make Lauchenoiria a fair, open and inclusive nation which stands up to injustice. I am also delighted to see that Peter Bloch has managed to win a bronze medal and a pardon, and wish him all the best in his future endeavours.”

President Marwick did not respond to a request for comment.