by TChris

Will Texas Gov. Rick Perry follow the lead of Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry by sparing the life of a man who wasn't given access to his government's consulate after his arrest, as the Vienna Convention requires? The government of Honduras wants Texas Gov. Rick Perry to commute the death sentences of two Hondurans who were denied their right to help from consular officials at the time of their arrest.

Gov. Perry recently pardoned Josiah Sutton, but DNA evidence established Sutton's innocence. Shortly after the International Court of Justice asked the United States to review the death setnences imposed on 51 Mexicans who were denied access to their consulates, Perry said that the court had no jurisdiction in Texas. Although his spokesperson denies that he's changed his view, she says that Perry expects law enforcement officials to obey all laws, including the Vienna Convention's requirement of consular notification, and promises that he "will continue to review death penalty cases on an individual basis as they reach his desk and look at the individual merits in each case in making a determination." Whether Gov. Perry will conclude that the failure to comply with the Vienna Convention affects the "individual merits" of either case remains to be seen.

If Gov. Perry follows the lead of Gov. Henry, it's likely that the Hondurans won't be the only inmates saved from execution. There are 26 foreign nationals on death row in Texas.