Male captus bene detentus explained

Male captus, bene detentus (wrongly captured, properly detained) is a legal doctrine, according to which the fact that a person may have been wrongly or unfairly arrested, will not prejudice a rightful detention or trial under due process.

There is state practice in support of the doctrine,^{[1] [2] [3] [4]} as well as contrary state practice.^{[5] [6] [7] [8] [9]} In one of its cases the U.S. Supreme Court held that where a person from another country is apprehended by irregular means, the right to set up as defense the unlawful manner by which he was brought to a court belongs "to the Government from whose territory he was wrongfully taken".^[10]

Further reading

• Paulussen, C. Y. M. (2010): Male Captus Bene Detentus? Surrendering suspects to the International Criminal Court. Intersentia.

Notes and References

1. Attorney-General v. Eichmann, 36 I.L.R. 5 (1961)
2. Frisbie v. Collins, 342 U.S. 519 (1952)
3. United States ex el Lujan v. Gengler, 510 F.2d 62 (1975)
4. United States v. Alvarez-Machain, 504 U.S. 655 (1992)
5. State v. Ebrahim, 21 I.L.M. 888
6. United States v. Toscanino, 500 F.2d 267 (1974)
7. United States v. Verdugo-Urquidez 939 F.2d 1341 (1990)
8. Connelly v. Director of Public Prosecutions, A.C. 1254 (1964)
9. Bennett v. Horseferry Road Magistrates' Court, 3 All E.R. 138 (1993)
10. Ker v. Illinois, 119 U.S. 436 (1886)