Two years after Mexican foreign national Gerardo Valdez came within days of his scheduled execution in Oklahoma, a jury has resentenced him to life without parole. In 2001, after reviewing evidence that Valdez was denied his right to seek assistance from the Mexican consulate as required by the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board voted to recommend Valdez’s clemency request, and Mexican President Vicente Fox made a personal plea to Governor Frank Keating on Valdez’s behalf. Although Keating denied clemency, he stayed the execution to allow time for Valdez to appeal. The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals ruled that Valdez must have a new sentencing hearing, which resulted in a sentence of life without parole. (Associated Press, November 21, 2003) See Foreign Nationals and Clemency.