The European Union Commission and ambassadors of Sweden...

The European Union Commission and ambassadors of Sweden and Belgium have appealed to the governor of Illinois to grant clemency to a Polish citizen awaiting the death sentence for the murder of a Chicago woman. Grzegorz Madej was sentenced in 1982 following his plea of self-defence and rejection of admission to the murder in return for a life sentence. The authors of the appeal state that Madej was not informed of his right to contact the Polish Consulate for legal assistance, which is a violation of the Geneva Convention on consular relations. Polish authorities only learned of his sentencing in 1998. Madej was also allegedly not informed of his right to a trial by jury.