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In the movie series XIII the main character was imprisoned in something they called "a rendition camp in Romania". In the movie it looked just like a prison. He was put there on the order of NSA or CIA or some agency without a proper sentence, they kind of "deposited" him there because they had considered him dangerous.

What is the exact meaning of the word rendition in the phrase rendition camp? I cannot find the definition of the phrase and none of the definitions of the rendition itself does not make sense (a performance or interpretation, a translation of a piece of writing, visual representation or reproduction).

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  • As rendition is derived from render, you may want to have a read of the definitions of render. You'll see that many have to do with handing over, so the process of rendition is that of handing over a person to another authority. (Summary/hint -- the answers are good but I think this is worth mentioning upfront)
    – Chris H
    Jun 10, 2015 at 12:03
  • It is an abbreviation in the movie for Extraordinary Rendition; the least pejorative definition for which can be found at definitions.uslegal.com/e/extraordinary-rendition
    – Hugh
    Jun 10, 2015 at 15:37

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The meaning probably refers to its original one of surrender, yield:

Rendition: (Etymonline)

  • c. 1600, "surrender of a place or possession," from obsolete French rendition "a rendering," noun of action from Old French rendre "to deliver, to yield" (see render (v.)). Meaning "translation" first recorded 1650s; that of "an acting, a performing" first recorded 1858, American English.

Rendition: (Wikipedia)

  • In law, rendition is a "surrender" or "handing over" of persons or property, particularly from one jurisdiction to another. For criminal suspects, extradition is the most common type of rendition. Rendition can also be seen as the act of handing over, after the request for extradition has taken place.

  • Rendition can also mean the act of rendering, i.e. delivering, a judicial decision, or of explaining a series of events, as a defendant or witness. It can also mean the execution of a judicial order by the directed parties. But extraordinary rendition is distinct from both deportation and extradition, being inherently illegal.

From: Of camps, gulags and extraordinary renditions: Infrastructural violence in Romania

  • From fascist prisons to Communist-era gulags, Romania does not simply have a history of torture, but also an existing infrastructure conducive to its practice. Romania, human rights organizations have made clear, hosted a number of ‘secret detention centers’ used by the US government in its program of ‘extraordinary rendition’ whereby intelligence agents illegally rendered, detained and tortured suspected terrorists.

  • Both Romania’s gulags and its secret detention centers call to mind Giorgio Agamben’s notion of ‘the camp’ – an extra-juridical space where human life is reduced to its bare form – which is why this article pivots on a historical comparison between the two.

(eth.sagepub.com)

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The word rendition comes from American jurisprudence. It has traditionally referred to a person transferred from one jurisdiction to another, such as when the pursuit of justice crosses state boundaries.

It was used a lot during slavery, when slaves escaped across country. Returning them involved rendition.

In recent times it has come to be applied to practices carried out by countries (including the United States) of illegally moving suspects into countries or territories where they can be tortured or detained without having to be brought before properly constituted systems of justice.

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    @Josh61 Since hurriedly writing this, I have read your own answer and up-voted it. The only point I would add to it is that the legal term rendition has been more used in America than in other English-speaking jurisdictions. And it was especially a feature of the years of slavery. So the term comes to us today with a somewhat murky history, and that murkiness continues.
    – WS2
    Jun 10, 2015 at 7:36
  • Maybe merge your answer into the Josh61's one. Although you are not responding to the exact question you are adding useful facts. I think it may be beneficial for reader to find your stuff in the accepted answer, too.
    – Honza Zidek
    Jun 12, 2015 at 8:30
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i think word rendition refers to the word detention but without an order from the competent judicial authority, you are kidnapped by the government and detained in a secret place illegally and without guaranties.

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  • Well, but why? What is the linguistic reason for using the word rendition in this particular meaning?
    – Honza Zidek
    Jun 10, 2015 at 6:20
  • The word rendition comes from American jurisprudence. It has traditionally referred to a person transferred from one jurisdiction to another, such as when the pursuit of justice crosses state boundaries. It was used a lot during slavery, when slaves escaped across country. Returning them involved rendition. In recent times it has come to be applied to practices carried out by countries (including the United States) of illegally moving suspects into countries or territories where they can be tortured or detained without having to be brought before properly constituted systems of justice.
    – WS2
    Jun 10, 2015 at 7:00
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    Rendition has an almost opposite meaning to detention. As @WS2 says, rendition is about moving a person; detention is about keeping them. So a rendition camp is one in which someone is put as part of the process of transferring them from one authority to another. Unlike the more usual judicial extradition, rendition is an executive/paramilitary action.
    – Chris H
    Jun 10, 2015 at 12:07

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