U.S. Fugitive Found in Portugal

A fugitive named Manuel Luis Ferreira has been found in Portugal after decades of searching for the man. Ferreira escaped from jail in 1970 after being found guilty of murder. He was also a participant in an alleged plane hijacking. He has evaded capture for almost forty years. The real interest in the story comes from the fact that Portugal will not extradite the fugitive. The Portugese court determined that since Manuel Luis Ferreira is not a citizen of Portgual, is in declining health, and the Portugese statute of limitations has expired on the case, they will not return the man to the Unites States. This story offers an interesting look on the power dynamics between state actors in regards to both individual policies and the agreements they have between one another. The U.S. and Portugal have a bilateral extradition policy and Portugal determined they were denying the U.S. big for extradition. It seems to be a rare occurence that the U.S. is denied anything on a global level. The United States may appeal the decision to the Portuguese Supreme Court.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/11/17/world/europe/portugal-us-fugitive/index.html?hpt=wo_bn6
Posted by: Kendall Bilbro