United Nations human rights chief Mary Robinson urged...

United Nations human rights chief Mary Robinson urged the United States to lift the death sentences on two men in Texas who were under 18 when they committed murder.
Robinson said the planned executions of the two violated the international Convention on the Rights of the Child, which only the United States and Somalia have refused to sign.
The two convicts, T.J. Jones and Toronto Patterson, were 17 at the time of their crimes. Jones is scheduled to be executed on August 8 for killing an elderly man in 1994, while Patterson is set to die 20 days later for a triple murder in 1995.
"While acknowledging the seriousness of the crimes for which the defendants were convicted and feeling the deepest sympathy for the victims and their families, Mrs. Robinson reiterated her particular opposition to the use of the death penalty for juvenile offenders," a statement from her office said.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said world opinion was overwhelmingly against capital punishment in such cases because young people, because of their immaturity, might not fully understand the consequences of their actions.
"More importantly, it reflects the firm belief that young people are susceptible to change, and thus have a greater potential for rehabilitation," she added.