MOSCOW, December 16. /TASS/. MPs of the State Duma have ratified the agreement between Russia and Mozambique on the extradition of criminals at a plenary session.

The document was submitted to the lower house of parliament for consideration by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The agreement was signed on May 20, 2025 in St. Petersburg. According to the document, the countries will extradite individuals to each other upon request for criminal prosecution or sentencing. The document states that extradition will be carried out for crimes that entail criminal liability under the laws of both states and are punishable by imprisonment for a term of at least two years.

However, the agreement specifies several cases in which Russia and Mozambique may refuse each other's extradition requests. In particular, a country can refuse extradition if a criminal is its citizen and if there is sufficient ground to believe that the person is being requested for extradition for subsequent persecution or punishment on the grounds of race, gender, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, or due to political beliefs.

Additionally, extradition of a criminal may be refused if the receiving country considers that fulfilling the request would harm its sovereignty, security, public order, or other essential interests, as well as if the crime for which extradition is requested is punishable by death in the territory of the requesting country.