Mexican denied mercy

Oklahoma governor Frank Keating has denied clemency for a Mexican citizen on death row, despite a personal appeal from Mexican president Vicente Fox.

The state attorney general is expected to ask for August 21 as the execution date for Gerardo Valdez, who was sentenced to die by lethal injection for a 1989 shooting.

Keating had delayed Valdez’s July 19 execution to consider whether Oklahoma authorities violated international law by not allowing Valdez to contact the Mexican consulate after his arrest.