Mexican for­eign min­is­ter José Antonio Meade Kuribreña recent­ly sent let­ters to Texas Governor Rick Perry and the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles request­ing that the exe­cu­tion of Edgar Arias Tamayo, a Mexican cit­i­zen, be post­poned or com­mut­ed. Tamayo is cur­rent­ly on death row in Texas and is sched­uled for exe­cu­tion for on January 22, 2014. In 2004, the International Court of Justice ordered the U.S. to review the con­vic­tions of Tamayo and 50 oth­er Mexican cit­i­zens who had been sen­tenced to death with­out being noti­fied of their rights under the Vienna Convention. No U.S. court has exam­ined the con­sular issues in Tamayo’s case. Earlier this month, Secretary of State John Kerry wrote a let­ter to Texas offi­cials urg­ing to review Tamayo’s case, and warn­ing that Tamayo’s exe­cu­tion could dam­age U.S.-Mexican rela­tions and hin­der the abil­i­ty of U.S. offi­cials to help American cit­i­zens detained abroad.

(“Edgar Tamayo Arias Update: Mexican Foreign Ministry Asks For No Death Penalty For Mexican In Texas,” Latin Times, December 23, 2013). See Foreign Nationals and New Voices. Read DPIC’s report, International Perspectives on the Death Penalty.

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