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IACHR
Press Release
IACHR Concludes that the United States Violated Tamayo’s Fundamental Rights and Requests that his Execution be Suspended
January 17, 2014
Washington, D.C. – The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) urges the United States of America to stay the execution of Edgar Tamayo Arias, which is scheduled to take place on January 22, 2014 in the state of Texas, and to grant Mr. Tamayo effective relief, including the review of his trial in accordance with the due process and fair trial guarantees set forth in the American Declaration. The United States is subject to the international obligations derived from the Charter of the Organization of American States and the American Declaration since it joined the OAS in 1951. Accordingly, the IACHR urges the United States, and in particular the state of Texas, to fully and properly respect its international human rights obligations.
The IACHR granted precautionary measures to protect the life and physical integrity of Edgar Tamayo Arias on January 18, 2012. The request for precautionary measures was filed in the context of a petition alleging the violation of rights recognized by the American Declaration. Through the precautionary measures, the Commission asked the United States to refrain from carrying out the death penalty until the IACHR had the opportunity to issue a decision on the petitioner's claims regarding the alleged violations of the American Declaration.
The IACHR decided the case was admissible on July 17, 2012. On January 15, 2014, the IACHR adopted Report No. 1/14 on the merits of the case and determined that the United States is responsible for the violation of the rights guaranteed in Articles I, XVIII, XXV and XXVI of the American Declaration, with respect to Edgar Tamayo Arias. The Inter-American Commission concluded, among other findings, that the State’s failure to respect its obligation under Article 36.1 of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations to inform Mr. Tamayo of his right to consular notification and assistance deprived him of a criminal process that satisfied the minimum standards of due process and a fair trial required under the American Declaration. According to the Commission’s jurisprudence, the right to notification and to contact a consular official are part of the due process guarantees that apply in the prosecution of a foreign national.
Accordingly, the Commission recommended that the United States review Mr. Tamayo’s trial and sentence in accordance with the guarantees recognized in the American Declaration. It also requested the State to ensure that every foreign national deprived of his or her liberty is informed, without delay and prior to a statement, of the right to consular assistance and to request that the diplomatic authorities be immediately notified of his or her arrest or detention. The Commission further recommended that the United States push for urgent passage of the bill for the “Consular Notification Compliance Act” (“CNCA”), which has been pending with the United States Congress since 2011.
The United States has two weeks to report on the measures adopted to comply with the recommendations made by the IACHR. The Inter-American Commission urges the State to ensure full compliance with all the recommendations and in this way to remedy the violation of Edgar Tamayo Arias' fundamental rights. Should the state of Texas carry out the execution of Mr. Tamayo, it would be committing a serious and irreparable violation of the basic right to life recognized in Article I of the American Declaration. The IACHR further reiterates that noncompliance with precautionary measures seriously contravenes the United States´ international legal obligations and undermines the effectiveness of the Commission's procedures.
The Inter-American Commission has dealt with the death penalty as a crucial human rights challenge for decades. While a majority of the member States of the Organization of American States has abolished capital punishment, a substantial minority retains it. In this regard, the Commission notes that the United States is currently the only country in the Western hemisphere to carry out executions.
The Commission reiterates the recommendation made in its report “The Death Penalty in the Inter-American Human Rights System: From Restrictions to Abolition" published in 2012, that States impose a moratorium on executions as a step toward the gradual disappearance of this penalty.
A principal, autonomous body of the Organization of American States (OAS), the IACHR derives its mandate from the OAS Charter and the American Convention on Human Rights. The Inter-American Commission has a mandate to promote respect for human rights in the region and acts as a consultative body to the OAS in this matter. The Commission is composed of seven independent members who are elected in a personal capacity by the OAS General Assembly and who do not represent their countries of origin or residence.
No. 2/14