INTERNATIONAL EXTRADITION · EUROPE
Extradition from Albania to the United States.
Extradition Treaty Between the United States of America and Albania controls the request. The 1933 treaty does not create an absolute nationality bar. The arrest clock and local review path decide what happens next.
THE SHORT ANSWER
draft No reliable general duration published. DOJ's Deme Nikqi case records arrest on 2011-10-04, ministerial approval on 2011-12-20, and arrival in the United States on 2012-01-06; that single case is not a forecast.
Extradition Treaty Between the United States of America and Albania
Effective: 1935-11-14
WHAT COUNSEL CHECKS FIRST
The active paper. The country. The clock.
THE RESPONSE ROOM
What has to be established first.
FIRST HOURS
Identify the legal basis for custody
Record the arresting authority, court, case number, custody location, interpreter need, and any hearing date. Ask for counsel before discussing the foreign accusation.
WHO DECIDES
The local record controls
Request through diplomatic channels; prosecutor/court review under Albanian criminal procedure; a judicial decision is constitutionally required; the Ministry of Justice/executive then arranges surrender if authorized.
THE CLOCK
Deadlines are event-specific
A diplomatic or consular application may seek a preliminary warrant. If the formal requisition and evidence are not produced within two months after arrest, the person may be released; release does not necessarily bar a later treaty-compliant request. No reliable general duration published. DOJ's Deme Nikqi case records arrest on 2011-10-04, ministerial approval on 2011-12-20, and arrival in the United States on 2012-01-06; that single case is not a forecast.
DOCUMENT AUDIT
Build the file before the argument
Preserve the notice or warrant, charging papers, identity records, release terms, travel documents, medical records, and every dated communication. Do not alter or delete evidence.
FOR FAMILIES COORDINATING ACROSS BORDERS
Confirm the exact legal name, detention location, medication needs, next hearing, local lawyer, and one reliable contact channel. A consulate may assist with welfare and contact; it cannot cancel the local case.
02 · THE PROCESS
How the Albania process moves.
Judicial and executive stages
Request through diplomatic channels; prosecutor/court review under Albanian criminal procedure; a judicial decision is constitutionally required; the Ministry of Justice/executive then arranges surrender if authorized.
Appeal and review
Domestic criminal-procedure remedies and constitutional/ECHR claims may be available. Exact route and deadlines require Albanian counsel because the 1933 treaty does not define appellate procedure.
03 · DEFENSES
The request still has to survive the record.
ISSUE
Treaty coverage
The charged conduct, punishment threshold, documents, and identity must fit the controlling treaty and local implementing law.
ISSUE
Dual criminality
This is an old list treaty, not a modern across-the-board dual-criminality treaty. The conduct must fit an Article II listed offense (including participation/accessory rules) and satisfy the requested state's evidentiary standard.
ISSUE
Political and protected offenses
No surrender for a political offense or where the request is made to try or punish a person for a political offense. Purely military and fiscal treatment is not stated in the modern formula and must be tested against the listed-offense structure and current Albanian/ECHR law.
ISSUE
Evidence and process
The request can be tested against the treaty standard, authentication requirements, limitation rules, and procedural guarantees that apply locally.
ISSUE
Human rights and punishment
Albania has abolished capital punishment and is bound by the ECHR. A U.S. capital case ordinarily requires assurances sufficient under Albanian law and ECHR Articles 2 and 3; prison-condition, torture, persecution, and flagrantly unfair-trial claims are fact-specific.
ISSUE
Specialty and assurances
The treaty limits prosecution after surrender to the offense for which extradition was granted until the person has had an opportunity to leave; consent and later conduct may alter the analysis.
04 · PUBLIC EXAMPLES
Recent public extradition records.
These examples come from public government records and are not presented as Spodek Law Group matters or results.
Arif Kurti
drug trafficking and money laundering
Deme Nikqi
international human smuggling; 28-count indictment
Arben Hoxha
murder
05 · THE CHARGES
What appears in the requests.
A Red Notice is not the extradition order.
A Red Notice asks police worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person, subject to each country's law. It is not an international arrest warrant, and it does not replace the treaty papers or the local extradition case.
The notice, the provisional-arrest request, and the surrender proceeding are separate records. Each can carry different defects, deadlines, and remedies.
07 · THIRD-COUNTRY RISK
Transit can expose a person to another country's arrest rules, immigration powers, or provisional request. This page gives no route or evasion advice. Review the actual warrant, notice, release conditions, and jurisdictions with counsel before travel.
08 · QUESTIONS
What families and targets ask first.
IMMEDIATE EXTRADITION QUESTIONS
It can. Border screening may expose a national warrant, INTERPOL data, immigration authority, or a provisional request under another country's law. This is not travel or evasion advice; the actual records and jurisdictions require review before travel.
AUTHORITIESwww.interpol.int
Release depends on Albania's current law, the arrest authority, flight-risk findings, and the stage of the request. No general website answer can predict it. Local counsel should address custody while U.S. counsel verifies the federal matter and request.
AUTHORITIESwww.justice.gov
Not automatically. Extradition, asylum, immigration removal, and non-refoulement are separate legal systems that may interact. The forum, protected status, alleged conduct, treaty, and current human-rights evidence determine which arguments are available.
AUTHORITIESwww.justice.gov
COUNTRY PROCEDURE
Yes. The 1933 treaty entered into force on November 14, 1935, and the State Department confirmed it remained in force in the Hoxha litigation.
AUTHORITIEShistory.state.gov2009-2017.state.gov
No. This treaty uses a list of offenses; the charged conduct must fit the treaty and meet its evidence requirement.
AUTHORITIEShistory.state.gov
Nationality is not a simple automatic answer. The treaty, Constitution, and current implementing law must be read together, and a judicial decision is required.
AUTHORITIESwww.venice.coe.int
The treaty permits release if the formal papers are not produced within two months after arrest.
AUTHORITIEShistory.state.gov
No. It is a request to locate and provisionally arrest; Albania applies its own law.
AUTHORITIESwww.interpol.int
Yes, for a political offense or a politically directed prosecution under the treaty and applicable human-rights law.
AUTHORITIEShistory.state.gov
Specialty generally limits prosecution for earlier conduct to the offense for which surrender was granted, absent consent or a treaty exception.
AUTHORITIEShistory.state.gov
There is no dependable standard timeline. DOJ says foreign proceedings can take months or years, and appeals can extend them.
AUTHORITIESwww.justice.gov
09 · RESEARCH LIMITS
What the public record does not settle.
10 · SOURCES
Every material claim should have a file behind it.
11 · REGIONAL INDEX
Related country files.
WHO REVIEWS THE FIRST CALL
Start with the paper, the posture, and the first deadline.
Todd A. Spodek leads the firm's federal defense work. The team identifies the active U.S. matter, the country and custody posture, and where appropriately licensed local counsel is required. No webpage can replace review of the actual request.
Todd Spodek - biography and record →SECURE CONSULTATION REQUEST
Put the actual extradition record in front of counsel.
Tell us whether this is an inquiry, Red Notice, detention, hearing, or appeal. The intake team will identify conflicts and the right next step. Urgent custody and hearing matters should call.
212 300 5196 - urgent matters →