United States violated the rights of fifty-one Mexicans on death row
Karen Ann Gajewski
* The International Court of Justice at The Hague ruled in March that the United States violated the rights of fifty-one Mexicans on death row in U.S. prisons. The court said the prisoners didn’t receive fair trials because they weren’t told of their right to counsel–a right guaranteed by the 1963 Vienna Convention. Although the court’s decision is legally binding, Washington argues it infringes on U.S. sovereignty to govern its criminal justice system. And Texas Governor Rick Perry adamantly claims, “The International Court of Justice does not have jurisdiction in Texas!” In a similar case in 1999 the International Court ordered the United States to stay the execution of a German national, but he was put to death nevertheless.
COPYRIGHT 2004 American Humanist Association
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group
