Texas Execution of Mexican National Sparks Debate
Wednesday, August 6th, 2008The state of Texas on Tuesday executed death row inmate Jose Medellin raising concern over what happens to the rights of foreigners arrested and detained in the U.S.
Medellin, born in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, was convicted of the 1993 killings of two teenage girls from Houston.Â
An international court previously ruled that Medellin’s conviction and that of 50 other Mexicans on death row in the US violated the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations.
This international law treaty, which the US has agreed to, calls for people arrested abroad to have access to their home country’s consular officials.
Texas state officials denied Medellin’s request.
President Bush had asked states to review the cases. Medellin’s appeal to the Supreme Court to allow states and Congress more time to look into the matter was denied by a 5-4 vote.
Sources: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/06/us/06execute.html?ref=world,
