Sovereign nation
Navajo wants to control criminal extraditions
Reehahlio Carroll, right, stands with Public Defender Rosie Cortez, during his arraignment in Window Rock in this Nov. 6 file photo. Carroll was the subject of an extradition battle between the Navajo Nation and the federal government. — © 2009 Gallup Independent /Cable Hoover

By Kathy Helms
Diné Bureau

WINDOW ROCK — The federal government is ignoring Navajo Nation extradition laws and procedures, and Chief Prosecutor Bernadine Martin wants it to stop.

“I have told the federal government, ‘We are a sovereign nation. We have our people, we have our culture, our language and our laws, which we should follow.’ When I was sworn in on Sept. 2, my oath was to Navajo law, not the federal law. The oath of our law enforcement is to Navajo law.

“What we are trying to do is focus the attention back on the extradition procedures so defendants are treated fairly and are given notice and an opportunity for a hearing before they leave the Navajo Nation,” Martin told the Intergovernmental Relations Committee Monday...

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