Cop killer Edgar Tamayo was executed Wednesday by Texas despite the pleas of Secretary of State John Kerry and the vehement protests of the Mexican government
Edgar Tamayo Arias, an illegal immigrant, was executed at 9:932 p.m. Wednesday for the 1994 murder of a Houston police officer. Scheduled to be executed at 6:00 p.m., the execution was delayed pending the outcome of a last minute appeal to the U. S. Supreme Court. Tamayo, 46, became the 509th death row inmate executed in Texas since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976.
Besides the usual protests by death penalty abolitionists who care more about a cop killer than a killed cop, this case is notable for protests by the Mexican government and pleas by Secretary of State John Kerry not to execute Tamayo because at the time of his arrest he was not advised that he had a right to obtain the assistance of the Mexican consulate.. The Bush administration had also asked the State of Texas not to execute the cop killer, fearing that if the State proceeded to do so, Americans arrested in foreign countries would likewise be denied assistance by U.S. consulates.
In what is known as the Avena ruling, a 2004 International Court ruling ordered the U,S. to review the cases of 51 Mexicans on death rows to determine whether they had received fair trials despite not being told of their right to obtain the assistance of Mexican consular officials. Tamayo was never so advised.
According to the Houston Chronicle, Mexico was particularly incensed at the pending execution. In a statement Sunday, the Mexican Foreign Relations Department declared that Mexico "strongly rejects" the scheduled execution of Edgar Tamayo and warned that the execution would be yet another U.S. violation of a 1963 treaty that says foreign nationals must be informed of their right to seek legal help from their consulate.
In September, Kerry sent letters to Gov. Rick Perry and other Texas officials calling Tamayo's execution "extremely detrimental to the interests of the United States” and warning that it would undoubtedly damage relations with Mexico and the U.S.' ability to demand respect for the consular rights of Americans abroad.
A spokeswoman for Gov. Perry said, "If you commit a terrible crime like this [the murder of a police officer] in Texas, you'll be subject to the state laws no matter where you come from, including the right to a fair jury trial and the death penalty."
Patricia Giovine, author of a book about Mexican nationals on death rows, said "Texas is the only state that has refused to comply with the Avena judgment and Mexico is the only country that has sued the United States for this violation at the International Court."
I am very proud of Gov. Perry and the Texas Board of Pardons and Parole for standing their ground and caring more for a killed cop than a cop killer. With the execution of Tamayo, the governor and the board have in effect told Mexico, Kerry and the International Court to take a flying fuck and keep their damn noses out of the Lone Star State’s business.
2 comments:
If Mexico wants to keep their criminals safe, they should keep their happy asses in Mexico. John Kerry is a jerkoff, nobody with an IQ above 60 cares what he says or thinks. But he did serve in Vietnam.
and one less white trailer trash cop whose ass is dead
Post a Comment