Texas defies international court to carry out execution

Malaysia Sun Wednesday 6th August, 2008

In defiance of an International Court of Justice order, the US state of Texas has gone ahead with the execution of a Mexican national convicted of murder.

The prisoner was executed Tuesday night for the rape and murder of two teenage girls 15 years ago after a divided US Supreme Court rejected his request for a reprieve.

The execution of Jose Ernesto Medellin, the fifth this year in Texas, attracted international attention after he raised claims he wasn’t allowed to consult the Mexican consulate for legal help following his arrest.

The International Court of Justice in 2004 ordered US officials to review the sentence for not only Medellin, but also for other Mexicans on death row.

After an urgent appeal by Mexico on July 16th this year, the ICJ instructed the US authorities to stay the executions.

Medellin's request for a reprieve was unanimously turned down on Monday by the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles.

Since the 2004 ICJ ruling, some US states have agreed to review their death row cases at the request of President George Bush.

But Texas has refused, arguing that its state courts, which decided the Medellin case, are not bound by the ICJ treaty.

Their position was supported in March by a US Supreme Court ruling.