Things Every Aspiring Fugitive Should Know About International Extradition(A Helpful Guide for the Morally Flexible)

So you’ve gone and done it—committed a lovely little murder, and now the cops are breathing down your neck. What’s a globe-trotting outlaw to do?

First stop on the Escape Express: Mexico! That’s right, our neighbors to the south might just be your new best friend. Even if the Mexican authorities catch you, they won’t hand you over to the U.S. unless our prosecutors pinky swear not to kill you. How heartwarming.

But wait, there’s more! There are countries out there—plenty, in fact—that don’t have extradition treaties with the United States at all. Sure, many of them are paradise if your idea of luxury involves military coups, internet blackouts, or living in a hut with a goat. But hey, that still beats a cozy little 6x9 cell in Leavenworth, doesn’t it?

So pack your bags (and maybe a fake passport), and remember: international crime isn’t just a bad decision—it’s a travel opportunity!

Mexico refuses to extradite individuals—including American citizens—to the United States if they may face the death penalty, unless U.S. authorities provide formal, binding assurances that the death penalty will not be sought or carried out.

This policy is based on:

1. Mexican law and constitution, which prohibits capital punishment.
2. The Mexican Supreme Court’s 2001 ruling, which reaffirmed that extraditing someone to a country where they could be executed would violate Mexican human rights principles.
3. International human rights treaties that Mexico has signed.

This has played out in real cases—most notably in Soering v. United Kingdom (1989, European Court of Human Rights), which set a precedent for European countries, and later echoed in Mexico v. United States (Avena case) before the International Court of Justice.

So yes, if an American flees to Mexico after committing a capital crime like murder, U.S. prosecutors must waive the death penalty in order to secure extradition.

Here is a list of countries that do not have an extradition treaty with the United States as of the most recent available information. Keep in mind, the absence of a treaty does not guarantee immunity from extradition—some countries may still choose to cooperate on a case-by-case basis.

Nations Without an Extradition Treaty with the U.S.

(Note: Subject to change based on diplomatic developments.)

Africa:

• Algeria
• Angola
• Botswana
• Burkina Faso
• Burundi
• Cameroon
• Central African Republic
• Chad
• Congo (Republic of)
• Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast)
• Djibouti
• Equatorial Guinea
• Ethiopia
• Guinea
• Guinea-Bissau
• Madagascar
• Mali
• Mauritania
• Mozambique
• Niger
• Rwanda
• São Tomé and Príncipe
• Somalia
• Sudan
• Togo
• Uganda
• Zambia

Asia & Middle East:

• Bhutan
• China (mainland)
• Iran
• Indonesia
• Kazakhstan
• Kyrgyzstan
• Laos
• Lebanon
• Maldives
• Mongolia
• Nepal
• North Korea
• Qatar
• Saudi Arabia
• Syria
• Tajikistan
• Turkmenistan
• Uzbekistan
• Vietnam
• Yemen

Europe:

• Belarus
• Kosovo
• Montenegro
• Russia
• Serbia
• Ukraine (Treaty signed but cooperation strained due to conflict and politics)

Caribbean & Central/South America:

• Cuba
• Dominican Republic (treaty exists but rarely enforced)
• Haiti
• Venezuela (treaty exists but politically suspended)

Oceania:

• Kiribati
• Micronesia
• Samoa
• Solomon Islands
• Tonga
• Tuvalu
• Vanuatu