St. Kitts and Nevis Passes Historic Extradition Reform Bill

Amicus International Consulting has highlighted the evolving landscape of international extradition, emphasizing legal, diplomatic, and strategic factors that shape extradition resistance and safe havens worldwide. Their 2025 Global Safe Zone Index identifies countries offering lawful refuge from U.S. extradition requests, focusing on jurisdictions with limited or no active treaties with the U.S., judicial independence, and robust sovereignty protections. High-profile individuals legally avoid U.S. extradition by exploiting legal loopholes such as acquiring second citizenships in nations that refuse to extradite their nationals. Additionally, extradition has become a tool of political and diplomatic negotiation, with cooperation often involving conditional agreements that can delay or alter the terms of surrender. Meanwhile, St. Kitts and Nevis have modernized their extradition laws by passing the Extradition Bill, 2025, replacing outdated colonial-era legislation to assert sovereign legal control and enhance international cooperation against transnational crime. Together, these developments reflect a complex balance between legal protections for individuals and evolving state interests in extradition protocols.