United Nations Radio

The Office of the UN human rights commissioner on Friday voiced "serious concerns" about the execution of a Mexican national by US authorities in defiance of the International Court of Justice.

Jose Ernesto Medellin was killed by lethal injection in a Texas jail this past Tuesday for the 1993 rape and murder of two girls, aged 14 and 16, in Houston.

In 2004, the ICJ ruled that Medellin's conviction and those of other Mexicans facing execution in the United States violated the Vienna Convention because authorities failed to inform the foreigners of their right to consular access and assistance during trial.

Spokesman Rupert Colville told journalists that the office of the high commissioner for human rights has serious concerns about the decision of the authorities in Texas to proceed with the execution:

"The finality of the death penalty makes it essential that it is applied with scrupulous attention to safeguards set down in international law. One of those safeguards is that foreign nationals should have access to consular services. This is crucial for the protection of all individuals who travel abroad."

The human rights office says the United States has an international obligation to comply with the decisions of the International Court of Justice - an obligation which cannot be set aside because of domestic constitutional arrangements.

This is Donn Bobb reporting for United Nations Radio.

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