Extrajudicial killing

An extrajudicial killing (or extralegal killing) is the killing of a person without waiting for the result of a state trial. Extrajudicial killings happen in states which either have laws favoring them, or where the state condones the killing. An example might be that someone is suspected of having done something which dishonors the family. Killing the person might be a way to keep the family in good standing (This is known as honor killing). The state might have laws that do not see this as murder, so the killers will not get a harsh sentence, or they will go unpunished altogether.

If forces of the state kill someone this is seen as extrajudicial killing, if none of the following applies:

• Justifiable killing in self-defense
• Killing someone as part of an armed conflict (or a war)
• Legitimate use of force to make someone follow the rule of law