Migration Jurisprudence from the South › Americas (requested by Mexico)
Advisory Opinion OC-16/99 (consular assistance and due process)
Inter-American Court of Human Rights · Americas (requested by Mexico) · 1999-10-01 · Regional court or body
Citation: OC-16/99
Type of case: Constitutional and human rights
Outcome: advisory
Question
Must foreigners who are arrested be told they can contact their consulate, and what follows if they are not?
What the court decided
Yes. The right to consular information is part of due process; imposing the death penalty without it violates the right not to be arbitrarily deprived of life.
In plain language
Mexico asked the Inter-American Court about Mexican nationals sentenced to death abroad without being told they could call their consulate. The Court said this right is part of a fair trial.
Dalam bahasa sederhana
Meksiko bertanya kepada Mahkamah Inter-Amerika tentang warga Meksiko yang dihukum mati di luar negeri tanpa diberi tahu haknya menghubungi konsulat. Mahkamah menyatakan hak ini bagian dari peradilan yang adil.
Pertanyaan: Haruskah orang asing yang ditangkap diberi tahu haknya menghubungi konsulat, dan apa akibatnya jika tidak?
What happened afterwards
- 1999-10-01: Opinion delivered.
- 2004: ICJ reaches a similar view in Avena.
Sources
Open this decision in the interactive collection (compare, filter, Indonesian view, downloads).
Cite as: Institute for Migrant Rights (2026), Migration Jurisprudence from the South, version 0.1, https://theimr.org/court-decisions/d/oc-16-1999/. This page summarizes a court decision for research and advocacy; it is not legal advice.