Mexico takes U.S. to court on death cases

Associated Press | January 10, 2002 | Lisa J. Adams

[HAL9000]

MEXICO CITY -- Mexico said Thursday it has asked the World Court in the Hague to resolve the case of 54 Mexicans on death row in the United States who allegedly were denied their rights to consular representation under an international treaty.

Mexico's foreign relations department has made such allegations against the United States in the past -- one recent case led President Vicente Fox to cancel a meeting with U.S. President George W. Bush last summer. But this is the first time officials have brought the matter to an international court.

In a news release, the foreign relations department said it had asked the court to rule that municipal and state officials in the United States had violated the 1963 Vienna Convention of Consular Relations. The convention obligates authorities to inform detained foreign nationals that they have the right to assistance from the consulates of their native countries.

The 54 Mexican nationals on death row in the United States were denied this right, the foreign relations department said, and as a result "they didn't receive the timely assistance from Mexican consular representatives that could have avoided application of the death penalty."

Mexican law prohibits the death penalty, and Mexico won't extradite its own citizens to face criminal charges in the United States in cases where the death penalty or a life sentence may be applied.

The issue is an important and sensitive one for Mexicans. Last August, Fox canceled a scheduled visit with Bush at his Texas ranch after the U.S. president refused to pardon a Mexican national on death row in Texas.

Fox contended that the prisoner, Javier Suarez Medina, was never told he could contact the Mexican consulate for help after his 1988 arrest.

[TheBigB]

Muck Fexico

[Mo1]

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[Bikers4Bush]

If mexico is so in love with its criminals it shouldn't let them leave in the first place.

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

So, it would appear that 54 immigrants from Mexico are convicted murderers? Very interesting, no? How many are illegals? Funny we find this statistic in such an odd way.

[Hodar]

It's real simple folks. If you don't like the laws of a country, don't go there.

[alisasny]

I was thinking the same thing. Close your border Mexicans and stop letting them leave. We dont want them killing our citizens. Keep them PLEASE!

Having said that I want all the cretins put to death.

[CdMGuy]

Michael Savage reports that 30% of those in US prisons are illegal aliens. So, it is costing us a bunch keeping these creeps locked up in the US. How about if we grant Mexico and other countries their wish and deport all these murders, thieves, rapists back to their home countries. We save a bunch of dollars, and these bleeding hearts get to deal with a self-generated crime wave at home.

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

This makes me ticked enough to consider land mines...

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

How about all illegal immigrant who rape, steal, etc. get the death penalty? It's time for TWO sets of laws.

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

30%? Good heavans!

[Bodacious]

Agreed, but put the GPS tracking chip in each one and tell them that if they're caught in the U.S. again , they won't be going back to Mexico.......ever. Life without parole, immediately, without redress.

[alisasny]

Mexico does not want them back. This is just more of the hate america crap probably started up by the wacko anti death penalty folks in our country. I see Ed Ansers name all over this : )

[alisasny]

Asner , even : )

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

Life without parole, immediately, without redress.

If they are ILLEGAL alians, they broke one law to begin with. If they are then convicted of rape, theft, OR murder, I say send them back to Mexico in a box. Coming here to work, I have some sympathy for that. Coming here to rape and/or steal, I have no sympathy for them.

Not only that, we would have saved over 50 US citizens' lives if we had been serious about safe borders. I realise that land mines are not popular. [Although if properly warned, it's their own fault for walking into a mine field]. But what about dogs, electronic listening posts, walls, more sonars for sea borders, and tough punishment?

[hunter112]

After Iraq and North Korea, then the rest of the Islam world, can we put Mexico on the list??