The New Zealand (NZ) Supreme Court has made a landmark ruling that a man suspected of murder can be extradited to China after receiving assurances that he would not be subjected to torture if surrendered.
The Court of Appeals previously blocked the ruling that allowed the extradition of NZ permanent resident Kyung Yup Kim, who is suspected of murdering a young woman in Shanghai in 2009, due to risk of torture and unfair trial.
Like other democratic allies, NZ does not have a formal extradition treaty with China, and its extradition treaty with Hong Kong was revoked in 2020.
However, in June 2021, the Supreme Court agreed to the extradition provided that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) gave assurances that Kim would be held and trialled in Shanghai and that during the investigation phase, NZ diplomatic and consular representatives would be permitted to visit Kim at least once every 48 hours.
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