Two years after Mexican for­eign nation­al Gerardo Valdez came with­in days of his sched­uled exe­cu­tion in Oklahoma, a jury has resen­tenced him to life with­out parole. In 2001, after review­ing evi­dence that Valdez was denied his right to seek assis­tance from the Mexican con­sulate as required by the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board vot­ed to rec­om­mend Valdez’s clemen­cy request, and Mexican President Vicente Fox made a per­son­al plea to Governor Frank Keating on Valdez’s behalf. Although Keating denied clemen­cy, he stayed the exe­cu­tion to allow time for Valdez to appeal. The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals ruled that Valdez must have a new sen­tenc­ing hear­ing, which result­ed in a sen­tence of life with­out parole. (Associated Press, November 21, 2003) See Foreign Nationals and Clemency.

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