The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights asked the United States to commute the penalty to Víctor Saldaño

[Inkriql]

After the United States Justice refused to review the case of Victor Hugo Saldaño, the Argentine sentenced to death in Texas for the crime of a merchant in 1995, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) urged the government of that country to "comply with the recommendations issued in relation to human rights" and commute the sentence. In addition, they requested that he be transferred from the “death row”, a Houston prison known by that name in which he is staying.

As reported by the Argentine Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the IACHR's statement occurs prior to Saldaño's presentation before the US Supreme Court, where the agency has a certain expectation: “It constitutes an essential opportunity to comply with the recommendations of the 24/17 Merits Report that the Commission elaborated and which concludes that the United States is responsible for violating the rights to life, freedom and security, integrity, equality before the law, a fair trial, protection against arbitrary detention, and the right to a process regular by Víctor Saldaño ”.

Prior to this statement, there was a meeting in Quito, Ecuador, which was attended by representatives of the State Department, the lawyer of Víctor Saldaño, Juan Carlos Vega, and also representatives of the Argentine State as observers.

"The United States is subject to international obligations derived from the Charter of the Organization of American States (OAS) and the American Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Man since he joined the OAS in 1951," said the IACHR.

For its part, the Foreign Ministry said: “Argentina participates in the international proceeding before the IACHR and in the internal proceedings before the Supreme Court of the United States, as amicus curiae, in defense of Saldaño's life, within the framework of the multiple actions carried out by our country in defense of the life of our national for more than 20 years and that respond to the traditional position of Argentina in the fight against the death penalty ”.

Days ago, Juan Carlos Vega had anticipated that the IACHR was the only possibility left for his client to avoid the death penalty: “The only sentence (which could favor his client) is that of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, That the American state does not want to comply. No rule of domestic law of that country can be used to suspend or neutralize the operational validity and binding legal value of the Report of the IACHR 76/16 ”.

To support his argument, the lawyer explained that there are 13 American countries that support the right of victims in this case: Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Uruguay, Mexico, Honduras, Dominican Republic, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Paraguay

The defendant's mother, Lidia Guerrero, also spoke after the possibility of execution was imminent and criticized the US legal system: “You know what you are doing, it is no longer about the opinion of a mother. They are responsible for the decision they make. It was verified how the Texas system operates to apply the death penalty. Whether or not the United States ignores it, it is their responsibility and everyone knows what they are doing. ”

The case

Víctor Saldaño was sentenced to death twice by the Texas Justice, for the murder of Paul Ray King, a computer salesman who was murdered in November 1995 with a Mexican accomplice, Jorge Chavez, to steal a watch and $ 50 on the outskirts of the city of Plano.

One of those rulings was annulled by the Supreme Court of the United States, after proving that a racist criterion was used to pass the sentence. Consequently, the highest court ordered the judiciary of the southern state to make a new trial that was not vitiated. However, Saldaño was convicted and sentenced to death again. At that time the mental health of the Argentine was already completely devastated, after having spent nine years in conditions of extreme isolation. For this reason, his legal defense unsuccessfully requested that he be transferred to a neuropsychiatric hospital.