CYIL vol. 11 (2020)

CYIL 11 (2020)

UNPOPULAR OPINION: THE IMPORTANCE OF BILATERAL EXTRADITION …

UNPOPULAR OPINION: THE IMPORTANCE OF BILATERAL EXTRADITION AGREEMENTS WITH HONG KONG Miroslav Kubíček 1

Abstract: Following the adoption of the national security law for Hong Kong, the issue of bilateral extradition agreements with Hong Kong became a hot topic in international media and politics. Many fear that the newly established Hong Kong security authorities will abuse these agreements for the purposes of persecution of political opponents or dissidents. Some states, therefore, decided to suspend the operation of their extradition agreements with Hong Kong or to suspend their ratification procedures. There are even calls to terminate these agreements entirely. It is, however, worthwhile to look closer at the safeguards contained in these agreements and in extradition procedure in general as well as at the real practical consequences of suspension of their operation. Examination of these agreements reveals that suspension of their operation or their termination are only political gestures that in many cases will not lead to the desired effect and can be even counterproductive. Resumé: Po přijetí zákona o národní bezpečnosti pro Hongkong se otázka dvoustranných extradičních dohod s Hongkongem stala žhavým tématem v mezinárodních médiích i poli- tice. Mnozí se obávají, že nově zřízené hongkongské bezpečnostní orgány budou tyto doho- dy zneužívat pro účely perzekuce politických oponentů a disidentů. Některé státy se proto rozhodly přerušit provádění svých extradičních dohod s Hongkongem nebo pozastavit své ratifikační procedury. Existují dokonce i hlasy volající po úplném ukončení platnosti těchto dohod. Stojí nicméně za to blíže se podívat na pojistky obsažené v těchto dohodách a v ex- tradičním řízení vůbec, jakož i na praktické důsledky přerušení jejich provádění. Studium těchto dohod ukazuje, že přerušení jejich provádění nebo ukončení jejich platnosti jsou toliko polická gesta, která v mnoha případech nepovedou k žádoucímu účinku, a mohou být dokonce kontraproduktivní. Key words: extradition, Hong Kong, National Security Law, human rights About the Author: Mgr. Miroslav Kubíček was born in Prague in 1978. He graduated from the Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Laws, in 2002. Afterwards, he worked for eleven years for the Ministry of Justice of the Czech Republic in the area of international judicial co-operation in criminal matters prior to becoming an employee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic.

1 This article is written in the author’s private capacity and the opinions and positions outlined in this article are his own and do not express the opinions or positions of any of the institutions for which he works or worked. The article was written according to the condition to 1. 9. 2020. The author wishes to thank JUDr. Petr Válek, LL.M., Ph.D., Director of the International Law Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, and Deborah Gaynus, Esq. for their valuable and stimulating comments on draft of this article.

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