OK. GOVERNOR GRANTS CLEMENCY TO MEXICAN CITIZEN


Photo: Cuartoscuro

Osvaldo Torres was sched­uled to be exe­cut­ed by the state of Oklahoma on May 18, 2004, despite a rul­ing from the International Court of Justice that his rights under the Vienna Convention (and those of 50 oth­er Mexican nation­als on American death rows) were vio­lat­ed. On May 13, 2004, cit­ing the deci­sions of the Parole Board and a stay grant­ed by the Court of Criminal Appeals, Governor Brad Henry com­mut­ed Torres’ sen­tence to Life Without Parole. The International Court of Justice is the high­est court of the U.N. and the U.S. has used this court in the past to pro­tect the rights of its own cit­i­zens.

CASE RESOURCES

DPIC Press Release on the Torres Case
March 30, 2004 Ruling of the ICJ
The rec­om­men­da­tion of the Oklahoma Clemency Board
Foreign Nationals on U.S. Death Rows
Amnesty International Report on the Torres Case
Citation Guide