Who Cares About Treaty Obligations? Not Texas.

Can the United States find a way to respect a simple treaty obligation?  One of such obvious importance for protecting Americans traveling abroad?  We’ll find out within a week.

Under Article 36 of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, foreign nationals who are arrested while abroad have the right to contact their consulate “without delay” for legal assistance. However, Texas authorities never informed Mexican national Humberto Leal of this right.

Now, the case of Humberto Leal, due to be executed on July 7 for the 1994 murder of a 16-year-old girl in San Antonio, has reached the U.S. Supreme Court.  The Government of Mexico has filed an amicus brief in support of Leal’s Supreme Court petition, noting that the United States has continued to be a “forceful advocate” for Americans detained in Mexico, and urging the U.S. government to uphold its end of the treaty.

Mexico has been at this a while, having brought a case against the U.S. to the International Court of Justice in 2003 on behalf of 51 men facing execution in the U.S., including Leal.  Texas has already executed one of those men, Jose Medellin, despite the ICJ finding the U.S. in clear breach of its treaty obligations.

In that case, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the ICJ’s decision was not binding without legislation from Congress. Such legislation has now been introduced, with widespread support from the U.S. government, including the Departments of Defense, Justice, Homeland Security and State.

Unless they hear from a lot of people, Texas officials are unlikely to care about U.S. treaty obligations, particularly those that interfere with the enterprise of prisoner killing.  But hopefully Congress and the U.S. Supreme Court will.

AIUSA welcomes a lively and courteous discussion that follow our Community Guidelines. Comments are not pre-screened before they post but AIUSA reserves the right to remove any comments violating our guidelines.

30 thoughts on “Who Cares About Treaty Obligations? Not Texas.

  1. You think that's bad, well, Arizona killed Richard Bible today! This is so stupid! Jennifer Wilson's family thinks that "justice is served" through Richard Bible's death, but all Wilson's family got is vengeance in the form of justice satisfied by killing him in spite of his innocence that went TOTALLY ignored while unknowingly letting her real murderer go free and causing Bible's family more grief in the loss of their loved one to state-sponsored murder! Everything's stupid when the Wilson family has shunned Bible's family and brought revenge on them by killing Richard for Jennifer's murder. My heart breaks for the hard-heartedness of Wilson's family. May God comfort and forgive both families for what they have done. At least Bible made his peace with God before he died. May Richard and Jennifer both rest in peace. 😥
    http://www.kswt.com/story/15007013/r

  2. You think that's bad, well, Arizona killed Richard Bible today! This is so stupid! Jennifer Wilson's family thinks that "justice is served" through Richard Bible's death, but all Wilson's family got is vengeance in the form of justice satisfied by killing him in spite of his innocence that went TOTALLY ignored while unknowingly letting her real murderer go free and causing Bible's family more grief in the loss of their loved one to state-sponsored murder! Everything's stupid when the Wilson family has shunned Bible's family and brought revenge on them by killing Richard for Jennifer's murder. My heart breaks for the hard-heartedness of Wilson's family. May God comfort and forgive both families for what they have done. At least Bible made his peace with God before he died. May Richard and Jennifer both rest in peace. 😥
    http://www.kswt.com/story/15007013/r

  3. You think that's bad, well, Arizona killed Richard Bible today! This is so stupid! Jennifer Wilson's family thinks that "justice is served" through Richard Bible's death, but all Wilson's family got is vengeance in the form of justice satisfied by killing him in spite of his innocence that went TOTALLY ignored while unknowingly letting her real murderer go free and causing Bible's family more grief in the loss of their loved one to state-sponsored murder! Everything's stupid when the Wilson family has shunned Bible's family and brought revenge on them by killing Richard for Jennifer's murder. My heart breaks for the hard-heartedness of Wilson's family. May God comfort and forgive both families for what they have done. At least Bible made his peace with God before he died. May Richard and Jennifer both rest in peace. 😥
    http://www.kswt.com/story/15007013/r

  4. You think that’s bad, well, Arizona killed Richard Bible today! This is so stupid! Jennifer Wilson’s family thinks that “justice is served” through Richard Bible’s death, but all Wilson’s family got is vengeance in the form of justice satisfied by killing him in spite of his innocence that went TOTALLY ignored while unknowingly letting her real murderer go free and causing Bible’s family more grief in the loss of their loved one to state-sponsored murder! Everything’s stupid when the Wilson family has shunned Bible’s family and brought revenge on them by killing Richard for Jennifer’s murder. My heart breaks for the hard-heartedness of Wilson’s family. May God comfort and forgive both families for what they have done. At least Bible made his peace with God before he died. May Richard and Jennifer both rest in peace. 😥

    http://www.kswt.com/story/15007013/r

  5. The Supreme Court has ruled that the Vienna Convention is not binding on the states in the absence of a binding enacted, not a proposed, statute.

    Humberto Leal Garcia should be put to sleep as planned.

    We must not allow a nation within a nation to arise.

    Grant W. Hunter

    19072586735

    [email protected]

  6. The Supreme Court has ruled that the Vienna Convention is not binding on the states in the absence of a binding enacted, not a proposed, statute.

    Humberto Leal Garcia should be put to sleep as planned.

    We must not allow a nation within a nation to arise.

    Grant W. Hunter

    19072586735

    [email protected]

  7. Richard Bible NOT innocent. Another rock solid conviction and you are the one TOTALLY ignoring facts. You are entitled to your own opinion concerning the death penalty – you are not entitled to your own facts. Richard Bible just joined Roy Blankenship, Donald Beaty and a bunch of other guilty murdering rapists. Stop calling guilty people innocent.

  8. Grant and Brian No-Last-Name, I am so disgusted with you! Why do you insult AIUSA by claiming that Humberto Leal Garcia is "an illegal immigrant who brutally killed a 16-year-old girl, keeps lying about his consular access rights being violated, and deserves to be executed and burn in hell so that justice will be served"?! You ALWAYS ignore the evidence of Leal's innocence and the innocence of many death row inmates by describing them as "monsters" and always cheer on their executions by perverting justice and claiming that "through the fires of hell justice is served", when justice is actually languishing in the fires of hell, and you always support only the victims' families who only want the perpetrators punished by death (though these "perpetrators" may be innocent) and always shun death row inmates families by insulting their loved ones, even post-mortem! You always support the junk science instead of the evidence that may prove a defendant innocent, and you ALWAYS believe in the "he sad, she said" stuff which you regard as true, when in fact it is not! You NEVER care about AIUSA or about human rights, OR about innocence AT ALL! 😡

  9. Richard Bible NOT innocent. Another rock solid conviction and you are the one TOTALLY ignoring facts. You are entitled to your own opinion concerning the death penalty – you are not entitled to your own facts. Richard Bible just joined Roy Blankenship, Donald Beaty and a bunch of other guilty murdering rapists. Stop calling guilty people innocent.

  10. Grant and Brian No-Last-Name, I am so disgusted with you! Why do you insult AIUSA by claiming that Humberto Leal Garcia is “an illegal immigrant who brutally killed a 16-year-old girl, keeps lying about his consular access rights being violated, and deserves to be executed and burn in hell so that justice will be served”?! You ALWAYS ignore the evidence of Leal’s innocence and the innocence of many death row inmates by describing them as “monsters” and always cheer on their executions by perverting justice and claiming that “through the fires of hell justice is served”, when justice is actually languishing in the fires of hell, and you always support only the victims’ families who only want the perpetrators punished by death (though these “perpetrators” may be innocent) and always shun death row inmates families by insulting their loved ones, even post-mortem! You always support the junk science instead of the evidence that may prove a defendant innocent, and you ALWAYS believe in the “he sad, she said” stuff which you regard as true, when in fact it is not! You NEVER care about AIUSA or about human rights, OR about innocence AT ALL! 😡

  11. There was alot of evidence placing this man at the scene. Also the way it happened was HORRIBLE!!! Gov. Perry should speed up the execution and tell Mexico to keep their nose out of our business. An Illegal comes here breaking law after law and then kills an AMERICAN and now we are supposed to feel bad for this guy! NO WAY, hook him up now and make a point to OBAMA to stop playing politics with the ILLEGALS!!!

  12. Be quiet, Jessica! You ALWAYS hate immigrants and want to deport them and kill them all in spite of the evidence of their innocence whom you TOTALLY ignore and treat as "false" and you support the death penalty and only support victims' families while shunning the families of death row inmates! You only believe in the "he said, she said" stuff that you believe is true, when in fact it is not! You never care about consular rights or foreign treaties or about the safety of travels to foreign countries, and you never care about human rights AT ALL! If you all continue to spew lies and insults against AIUSA until the time that Humberto Leal Garcia (whom you insult and treat as an "illegal monster who killed innocent Adria Sauceda, lies about consular rights being violated and deserves to burn in hell") is killed in spite of his innocence and of his consular rights being violated, then I'm not visiting this blog again! Good day!

  13. Don't tell anyone to be quiet. YOU Debbie should take some of your own advise. All you do is ignore facts. You are a passionate defender against the death penalty – that gives you no right to put words into others mouth and spew YOUR hate for anyone that disagrees with you. You are a child. Grow up.
    Research the Humberto Leal case – GUILTY as the day is long. Argue this non-sense that somehow failing to advise the Mexican Consulate resulted in this brutal murderer receiving an unjust GUILTY verdict and his death sentence?
    Non-Sense like most all your fact-less based arguments.
    You are against the death penalty – GOT IT. But you suggest all these people that land on death row are innocent. Foolish.

  14. There was alot of evidence placing this man at the scene. Also the way it happened was HORRIBLE!!! Gov. Perry should speed up the execution and tell Mexico to keep their nose out of our business. An Illegal comes here breaking law after law and then kills an AMERICAN and now we are supposed to feel bad for this guy! NO WAY, hook him up now and make a point to OBAMA to stop playing politics with the ILLEGALS!!!

  15. Be quiet, Jessica! You ALWAYS hate immigrants and want to deport them and kill them all in spite of the evidence of their innocence whom you TOTALLY ignore and treat as “false” and you support the death penalty and only support victims’ families while shunning the families of death row inmates! You only believe in the “he said, she said” stuff that you believe is true, when in fact it is not! You never care about consular rights or foreign treaties or about the safety of travels to foreign countries, and you never care about human rights AT ALL! If you all continue to spew lies and insults against AIUSA until the time that Humberto Leal Garcia (whom you insult and treat as an “illegal monster who killed innocent Adria Sauceda, lies about consular rights being violated and deserves to burn in hell”) is killed in spite of his innocence and of his consular rights being violated, then I’m not visiting this blog again! Good day!

  16. Don’t tell anyone to be quiet. YOU Debbie should take some of your own advise. All you do is ignore facts. You are a passionate defender against the death penalty – that gives you no right to put words into others mouth and spew YOUR hate for anyone that disagrees with you. You are a child. Grow up.
    Research the Humberto Leal case – GUILTY as the day is long. Argue this non-sense that somehow failing to advise the Mexican Consulate resulted in this brutal murderer receiving an unjust GUILTY verdict and his death sentence?
    Non-Sense like most all your fact-less based arguments.
    You are against the death penalty – GOT IT. But you suggest all these people that land on death row are innocent. Foolish.

  17. bye bye humberto. you deserve what you get. how about a little compassion for that girl. he's an animal asick one at that.put him to sleep. do it gov. perry.

  18. bye bye humberto. you deserve what you get. how about a little compassion for that girl. he’s an animal asick one at that.put him to sleep. do it gov. perry.

  19. Why the hell are people defending this monster?! There are alot of women here wanting to stop his execution. What about crimes against women? Do you know the details of this murder? It will make you sick!
    Once again Mexico steps in and tells the U.S. how to run the system. Why would they defend this person? I guess what happened to that young girl is okay with them, but our legal system should leave their precious Mexican nationals alone.

    What the hell are kids learnig in school these days? They are so quick to call someone an "immigrant hater" because they want this person to fry. Are they that complaisant?
    This monster should have been put down years ago…

  20. Why the hell are people defending this monster?! There are alot of women here wanting to stop his execution. What about crimes against women? Do you know the details of this murder? It will make you sick!
    Once again Mexico steps in and tells the U.S. how to run the system. Why would they defend this person? I guess what happened to that young girl is okay with them, but our legal system should leave their precious Mexican nationals alone.

    What the hell are kids learnig in school these days? They are so quick to call someone an “immigrant hater” because they want this person to fry. Are they that complaisant?
    This monster should have been put down years ago…

  21. This was never about guilt or innocence, it was about due process and a government's required adherence to accepted legal standards. In all likelihood Leal would have been convicted even with the help of better lawyers provided by Mexico, but he may not have been put to death given the completely arbitrary nature of the application of capital punishment in our country. However, all AIUSA, Obama, DOJ, etc. wanted was for Texas to grant a stay so that the state could have a chance to comply with international law. I understand that Texas feels as if it is a sovereign state and therefore should not take orders from either the ICJ or the federal government, but their actions at once delegitimize the integrity of their own criminal justice system while also endangering americans abroad. I would have hoped that a prospective presidential candidate like Governor Perry would care more about America's commitment to international law, not to mention the American Constitution.

  22. This was never about guilt or innocence, it was about due process and a government’s required adherence to accepted legal standards. In all likelihood Leal would have been convicted even with the help of better lawyers provided by Mexico, but he may not have been put to death given the completely arbitrary nature of the application of capital punishment in our country. However, all AIUSA, Obama, DOJ, etc. wanted was for Texas to grant a stay so that the state could have a chance to comply with international law. I understand that Texas feels as if it is a sovereign state and therefore should not take orders from either the ICJ or the federal government, but their actions at once delegitimize the integrity of their own criminal justice system while also endangering americans abroad. I would have hoped that a prospective presidential candidate like Governor Perry would care more about America’s commitment to international law, not to mention the American Constitution.

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