In Haxhia and others v Republic of Albania [2026] EWHC 956 (Admin), 26 April 2026, the UK High Court gave an important ruling on the role (and limits) of assurances in extradition proceedings, as well as on the applicable standard in potential life-sentence cases in the requesting State. The case concerned extradition requests issued by Albania in connection with an alleged murder. The requests had originally been certified on the basis of Article 78/a of the Albanian Crimina

In a judgment delivered on 23 April 2026 (C-528/24, Boothnesse), the EU Court of Justice held that, under the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement, the mere possibility that the requesting State may breach of the rule of speciality does not, in itself, justify refusal of surrender. What matters is whether that feared breach gives rise to a real risk of a violation of fundamental rights. The case arose from proceedings before the Irish Supreme Court concerning three individua