USA - Texas. Secretary of State John Kerry urges Texas to reconsider death sentence of Edgar Arias Tamayo, a Mexican citizen

Secretary of State John Kerry urges Texas to reconsider death sentence of Edgar Arias Tamayo, a Mexican citizen. In a letter to Texas officials, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry urged a review of the conviction of Edgar Arias Tamayo, a Mexican citizen scheduled to be executed on January 22, 2014. Tamayo was not notified of his right to contact the Mexican Consulate, a violation of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, a treaty that the U.S. has signed and ratified. In 2004, the International Court of Justice ordered the U.S. to review the convictions of Tamayo and 50 other Mexican citizens who had been sentenced to death without being notified of their rights under the Vienna Convention. No U.S. court has examined the consular issues in Tamayo's case. Kerry's letter warned that executing Tamayo could damage U.S.-Mexican relations and hinder the ability of U.S. officials to help American citizens detained abroad. “Our consular visits help ensure U.S. citizens detained overseas have access to food and appropriate medical care, if needed, as well as access to legal representation,” he said. Eduardo Medina Mora, the Mexican Ambassador to the United States, said, “This issue has become and could continue to be a significant irritant in the relations between our two countries.” Tamayo is convicted of murdering 24-year-old Houston police officer Guy Gaddis on January 3, 1994. On Tuesday, 20 years after the conviction, Judge Michael McSpadden set the execution date for Jan. 22, 2014. Tamayo's lawyers are trying to stop the execution on the grounds that his rights under the Vienna Convention were violated. The convention states that a citizen of a foreign country has the right to contact their consulate if they get into legal trouble while visiting another country. Secretary of State John Kerry has warned Texas officials that if they go through with the execution, not only will it damage the U.S' relationship with Mexico, but it could also hinder the ability of the government to help American detainees overseas. Kerry's involvement in the case does not seem to be deterring the Texas authorities from staying the execution. Lawyers for Tamayo have petitioned Texas Governor Rick Perry for a 30-day reprieve while they petition the Board of Pardons to commute the sentence to life in prison. In a letter to Perry and the Texas attorney general Kerry outlined his concerns for the continued relationship between Mexico and the U.S should the execution move forward. "I have no reason to doubt the facts of Mr. Tamayo's conviction, and as a former prosecutor, I have no sympathy for anyone who would murder a police officer." Kerry called the concern he is showing a "process issue" and worried for the way Americans would be treated overseas. "Our consular visits help ensure U.S. citizens detained overseas have access to food and appropriate medical care, if needed, as well as access to legal representation." Governor Perry responded to the New York Times about Kerry's letter via his spokesperson Lucy Nashed, saying states do not have to up hold the decision of the World Court if a finale judgment has already been reached. "It doesn't matter where you're from - if you commit a despicable crime like this in Texas, you are subject to our state laws, including a fair trial by jury and the ultimate penalty."