Report No. 211 (2020) IACHR. Petition No. 13.570 (Estados Unidos)

CourtInter-American Comission of Human Rights
Respondent StateUnited States
Report Number211
Petition Number13.570
Case TypeMerits
Case Number13.570
Alleged VictimLezmond C. Mitchell
REPORT No. 211/20
CASE 13.570
REPORT ON ADMISSIBILITY AND MERITS (PUBLICATION)
LEZMOND C. MITCHELL
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Approved electronically by the Commissio n on August 24, 2020.
OEA/Ser.L...
.
.
D.. 225
August 24, 2020
Original: English
Cite as: IACHR, Report No. 211/20. Case 13.570. Admissibility and Merits (Publication).
L..C..M.. United States of America. A. 24, 2020.
www.iachr.org
1
INDEX
I. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................................................................... 2
II. POSITIONS OF THE PARTIES .................................................................................................................................................................... 2
A. Petitioners ...................................................................................................................................................................................................... 2
B. State ................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 3
III. ADMISSIBILITY................................................................................................................................................................................................. 5
A..C., duplication of procedures and international res judicata ........................................................................... 5
B. Exhaustion of domestic remedies and timeliness of the petition ......................................................................................... 5
C. Colorable claim ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 6
IV. FINDINGS OF FACT ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 6
A. The federal death penalty system ....................................................................................................................................................... 6
B..T. federal death penalty, Indian jurisdiction and the Navajo Nation .............................................................................. 7
C..R. legal framework ....................................................................................................................................................................... 8
D....F. background, trial and death sentence ............................................................................................................................... 8
E. Post-conviction proceedings .............................................................................................................................................................. 11
F. Civil procedure’s motion (60(b) motion) ..................................................................................................................................... 13
G.....L. proceedings regarding the lethal injection protocol ................................................................................................... 14
V. ANALYSIS OF LAW ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 14
A..P. considerations ................................................................................................................................................................. 14
B..R. of protection from arbitrary arrest ..................................................................................................................................... 15
1. General considerations on the right not to be illegally or arbitrary arrested ....................................................... 15
2. A. of the case ........................................................................................................................................................................... 16
C..R. to a fair trial and right to due process of law .................................................................................................................. 17
1. General considerations on the right to self-determination and cultural identity of indigenous peoples, in
relation to the rights to a fair trial and to due process of law ................................................................................................... 17
2. A. of the case ........................................................................................................................................................................... 18
3. Right to counsel .................................................................................................................................................................................. 21
4. Ineffective assistance of court-appointed counsel ............................................................................................................. 21
5. A. of the case ........................................................................................................................................................................... 22
6. Access to effective remedies ......................................................................................................................................................... 23
D. Right not to receive cruel, infamous or unusual punishment ............................................................................................. 24
1. Method of execution ......................................................................................................................................................................... 24
2. The deprivation of liberty on death row and the right of protection against cruel, infamous or unusual
punishment ....................................................................................................................................................................................................... 25
E. Right to life and to protection against cruel, infamous or unusual punishment with respect to the eventual
execution of L..M..M. ................................................................................................................................................................ 26
VI. REPORT No. 193/20 AND INFORMATION ABOUT COMPLIANCE .......................................................................... 26
VII. REPORT No. 209/20 AND INFORMATION ABO UT COMPLIANCE .......................................................................... 27
VIII. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ..................................................................................................................... 27
IX. PUBLICATION ........................................................................................................................................................................... 28

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