The World Court faulted the United States for violating...

The World Court faulted the United States for violating international rights of two German-born brothers executed in 1999 and ordered Washington to reconsider convictions in any similar cases. Walter and Karl LaGrand had been found guilty of killing a bank manager in a bungled 1982 robbery.Germany filed a case with the International Court of Justice in 1999, arguing U.S. officials violated the Vienna Convention by not informing its consular officials of the arrest and murder convictions of the LaGrands. The German government heard not from U.S. officials, but from the brothers themselves when fellow inmates told them of their rights.Walter was gassed to death the day after the court, the highest U.N. legal body, issued its emergency order. Karl had been put to death before the case was filed.Germany said it attempted through diplomatic channels to help the LaGrands, but when those efforts failed resorted to the international court. In its ruling, the court also rebuked U.S. officials for disobeying an order in March 1999 by the United Nations body to delay the execution by the state of Arizona of one of the brothers. After the court order, on the eve of the planned execution of Walter LaGrand, the U.S. Solicitor General wrote to the U.S. Supreme Court saying the World Court ruling was not binding. But, in its first ruling on such orders, the World Court judges said nations must respect them. "The court finds that such orders do have binding effect," their statement said.World Court judgments are without appeal. If one party is not satisfied that the other has complied with a judgment, it can go to the U.N. Security Council.The United States did not deny that it had breached the Vienna Convention, but has vowed to improve compliance and apologised over the LaGrand case.Judges voted 14-1 that in any similar current or future cases an apology would not be enough."An apology would not suffice in cases where the individuals concerned have been subjected to prolonged detention or convicted and sentenced to severe penalties," a statement said."It would be incumbent upon the United States to allow the review and reconsideration of the conviction and sentence."A court spokeswoman said the ruling applies to Germans on death row or sentenced to life in prison whose rights under the Vienna Convention were violated.The German Foreign Ministry said that four Germans were currently on death row in the United States for murder, and legal rights were denied in some cases. It declined to say how many."It's up to America to review what the decision means for other concrete cases," a Foreign Ministry spokesman said.U.S. State Department representative James Thessin reiterated the U.S. commitment to ensure compliance with the Vienna Convention in a short statement to reporters. He did not comment on the order to review convictions of German nationals.The LaGrand brothers' Munich-based lawyer Steffen Ufer said this decision should be used to prevent the execution of another pair of German brothers also awaiting execution in an Arizona prison. Rudi and Michael Apelt were sentenced to death for the murder of Rudi's wife.