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Texas Snubs World Court on Execution Stays

Texas has said it will ignore the injunction against executions issued Wednesday by the World Court.
The International Court of Justice at The Hague on Wednesday ordered the U.S. to stay the executions of three Mexicans and reserved the right to intervene in dozens of other cases.

Mexico brought the World Court case last month, arguing that 54 of its citizens on death row should get retrials. It accused U.S. police of violating an international treaty by failing to tell the men of their right to consular assistance after being arrested.

The World Court said it acted in three cases where the men were at risk of execution before the lengthy case is finished.
On Tuesday, Texas executed its 296th prisoner since 1982, when it's death penalty was reinstated. In response to news that the International Court of Justice at the Hague ordered the United States to stay the next three pending executions of Mexican nationals until they prove that the defendants were given access to consular assistance, as required by international law, Lawrence Goldman, president of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, issued the following statement:
"We hope the United States will follow the order of the World Court to stay the pending executions of the Mexican nationals. Unfortunately, our past record indicates that we will not.

"It would be ironic for the United States to ignore the order of a World Tribunal at the same time we threaten war on another nation on the ground that it flouts the directives of a world body.

"The rule of international law should certainly be respected as much when it prevents death as when it arguably allows for war. We should consider following the lead of our neighbors in Mexico in their respect for both life and the law."

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