Statement by Council of Europe Secretary

Execution in Texas: US should end its pick and choose attitude 
towards international law

Statement by Council of Europe Secretary General Terry Davis

Strasbourg, 06.08.2008 - “I am most concerned by the execution of 
Mexican national José Medellin yesterday in Texas. Mr Medellin was 
not informed of his right to consular help at the time of his arrest 
even though the United States are legally bound to guarantee this 
right under the 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations. This is 
a regrettable attitude by a country which is very vocal about its 
commitment to the rule of law. The judicial authorities also 
blatantly ignored the order by the International Court of Justice to 
stay the execution on the grounds of the violation of the right to 
consular assistance. I wrote to the Texas Board of pardons and 
paroles in July, asking for a stay of the execution, but my appeal 
has been disregarded in the same way as the calls from the Mexican 
government, the UN Secretary General and several other governments 
and international organisations.

The issue at stake is not the guilt of Mr Medellin. He was found 
guilty of a particularly gruesome crime and he deserved to be punished.

The problem is the death penalty, which is rejected by a great 
majority of democratic and civilised countries across the world and 
also the pick and choose attitude of the United States of America – 
and its individual states - when it comes to respecting international 
law. The execution of Mr Medellin was therefore not only a violation 
of human rights and human dignity, but also an act of arrogant 
defiance which undermines the collective mechanisms for peace and 
security in the world.”


Council of Europe Press Division
Tel: +33 (0)3 88 41 25 60
Fax:+33 (0)3 88 41 39 11
pressunit@coe.int
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