GENEVA,
November 13, 2018 – UN human rights experts* have called on the
US Government to halt the imminent execution of a Mexican
national amid concerns that he did not receive a fair trial.
Mr.
Roberto Ramos Moreno, a Mexican national, is due to be executed
in Texas on 14 November 2018. He was convicted of capital murder
in 1993.
Mr.
Moreno has had psychosocial disabilities predating the time of
offence. In such circumstances,
international
human rights standards prohibit the use of the death penalty.
The
Texas authorities failed to notify, in a timely fashion, the
Mexican consulate of his arrest, in contravention of
international standards thus resulting in Mr. Moreno being
denied essential assistance in crucial stages of the
investigation. In addition, Mr. Moreno Ramos did not have legal
representation until three months after his initial arrest,
despite having requested a lawyer.
The
UN’s International Court of Justice found in 2004 that the US
Government had breached its obligations under the Vienna
Convention on Consular Relations, and ordered the Government not
to execute Mr. Ramos Moreno until his case had been
reconsidered.
“Any
death sentence carried out in contravention of a Government’s
international obligations amounts to an arbitrary execution,”
the experts warned. “We call for his death sentence to be
annulled and for Mr. Ramos Moreno to be re-tried in compliance
with due process and international fair trial standards.”
The
Inter-American Commission on Human Rights has also called for a
new trial in line with due process and fair trial standards.
*The
UN experts: Ms. Agnes Callamard, Special Rapporteur on
extrajudicial, summary or
arbitrary executions;
Mr Seong-Phil Hong, Chair-Rapporteur of the Working Group on Arbitrary
Detention.
UN Human Rights, country page – USA