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U.N. asks Texas to commute Mexican's death sentence
The top U.N. human rights official urged the governor of Texas on Friday to call off the execution next week of a Mexican citizen convicted of murder who was not told of his right to diplomatic advice when arrested.Humberto Leal Garcia was convicted of raping and killing a 16-year-old girl in Texas in February 1998 and his conviction was upheld the following year, a spokesman for United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said. "We understand that the execution of Mr. Leal Garcia is now set for Thursday, 7 July. The governor of Texas still has the power to commute the sentence to life imprisonment. The High Commissioner has written to him directly requesting him to do so," her spokesman Rupert Colville told a news briefing. At the time of his arrest, Leal Garcia was not informed of his right under international law to have consular assistance from Mexican authorities which, as a foreign national, he is entitled to under the Vienna Convention, he said. "The lack of consular assistance and advice raises concerns about whether or not Mr. Leal Garcia's right to a fair trial was fully upheld," Colville said. Posted by: tipper 2011-07-02 |
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