A spokesman for the Mexican Embassy in Washington, Ricardo Alday, accused Texas of “an irreparable breach of international obligation” if it executed any of their citizens.
Posted on 07/18/2008 6:08:12 AM PDT by Zakeet
Despite pleas from the White House and the State Department, as well as an international court order to review their cases, Texas will execute five Mexicans on death row, a spokeswoman for the governor said Thursday. The first of the executions — that of José Ernesto Medellín, 33, convicted in the 1993 rape and murder of two teenage girls here — is scheduled for Aug. 5.
The decision by Gov. Rick Perry to allow the executions is the latest twist in a long-running battle between Mexico, which has no death penalty, and the United States over the fate of 51 Mexicans facing capital punishment in several states, including 14 in Texas. On Wednesday, the International Court of Justice at The Hague ordered a review of five of the Texas cases after Mexico complained that the convicts, all men, had not been allowed a chance to talk to a Mexican consul after their arrests, as required under the 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations.
But that argument holds little sway in Texas, a place with a long history of upholding the death penalty and of telling other governments to mind their own business.
[Snip]
Mr. Medellín [was] one of six young men that a jury found had raped and strangled Elizabeth Peña, 16, and Jennifer Ertman, 15, in a park one night.
Mr. Medellín was 18 at the time and had lived most of his life in Texas; he signed a confession in English.
[Snip]
For relatives of the murdered girls, questions about international relations seem irrelevant.
“This has nothing to do with the World Court; it has nothing to do with the U.N.,” said Jennifer’s father, Randy Ertman. “This has everything to do with what Mexico wants, not what Texas wants. The people of Texas want the death penalty.”
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
A spokesman for the Mexican Embassy in Washington, Ricardo Alday, accused Texas of “an irreparable breach of international obligation” if it executed any of their citizens.
Good for us.
Go Texas !!!!!
living in Mexico IS a death penalty...thats why so many want in here....
There is something wrong with anyone who opposes the execution.
Best Mexico’s embassy spokesman puts out the word IN MEXICO that it can be dangerous to cross that border.
mexicans have no death penalty!
but they’re always killing each other,
and americans.
You’ve got to love Texas.
“Texas, a place with a long history of upholding the death penalty and of telling other governments to mind their own business.”
Way to go, Texas!! Keep up the good work.
Leave it to the NY Times to put up a picture of the killers grandmother instead of the victims.
“In Texas, if you kill someone, we will kill you back.”
Good for Texas!
” convicted in the 1993 rape and murder of two teenage girls here — is scheduled for Aug. 5.”
Lag times between crime and punishment that are this bad or worse bug me to no end.
Texas says: “Remember the Alamo”
Don’t do the crime in Texas if you can’t stand dyin’.
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