Ecuador demands return of citizen on death row

Recently we mentioned the legal brouhaha between the U.S. and Mexico over the execution of Jose Medellin. Another judicial row may develop between the U.S. and Ecuador over a man named Nelson Serrano.

Originally from Ecuador, the 66-year-old ex-businessman has been on death row in Florida after being convicted for killing four people. Yesterday the Ecuadorian government hired attorneys to see if Serrano could return to his native land. The reasoning behind it seemed rather peculiar:

Serrano, a dual Ecuadorean and U.S. citizen, was arrested by Ecuadorean officials and then deported in 2002 at the request of the U.S., a move the current government says was unconstitutional and illegal.

An Ecuadorean official concluded at the time that Serrano had repeatedly entered the country under his U.S. passport and was an American eligible for deportation.

The United States' only legal route to removing Serrano from his home country was through extradition, Interior Minister Fernando Bustamante said Thursday.

It’s unknown what Serrano’s legal status would be should he return to Ecuador; he may face judicial proceedings or even be freed. Thus, odds are U.S. authorities will very reluctant to hand over Serrano.

Image- MSNBC
Online Sources- The Latin Americanist, El Universo, El Telegrafo, IHT