The US federal government must intervene with the states...

The US federal government must intervene with the states to ensure a review of the cases of foreigners - particularly Mexicans - sitting on death row, The New York Times said in an editorial. The editorial pointed to a ruling by the International Court of Justice of The Hague that 51 Mexican nationals on death row in the United States were entitled to a review of their cases since they had not been provided diplomatic representation when first arrested. Neither Texas, the state with the largest number of Mexicans on death row, nor Oklahoma, had shown any intention of reviewing the cases. "Imagine an American being executed in another country after being denied a visit by an American consular official, and you get a sense of why this death penalty case is a big story in Mexico these days," The Times said. According to the editorial, the US government must ensure that this ruling be upheld, particularly to guarantee that Americans receive fair treatment overseas. "American businessmen and tourists in plenty of countries are often singled out by less-than-scrupulous law enforcement," the editorial said. In addition, the daily stated that a move by Washington would be a much-needed affirmation that the United States "still believes in international law. "The ruling in The Hague is not meant to challenge the death penalty. It simply asks for a complete review to remedy the initial rights violation," The Times concluded.