Victor Saldaño, the Argentine who has been on death row since 1996

Victor Saldaño and an endless wait in a Texas prison

Nearly three decades after the crime that brought him to justice in Texas, Argentine Víctor Saldaño remains on death row. His fate has reopened discussions about judicial racism, compliance with international rulings, and the meaning of capital punishment in the United States.

The Allan B. Polunsky Unit, home to death row since 1999, keeps inmates in cells measuring approximately two by three meters, with isolation for at least 23 hours a day and minimal exits. According to his defense, Saldaño spent most of these years there while awaiting a lethal injection that never came.
Three months ago, according to his lawyer, the Cordoba native was transferred to a psychiatric hospital within the prison system after attempting suicide. His mother, Lidia Guerrero, says she obtains information remotely and with few details, while exchanging letters when she can.

Legal keys and defenses of Víctor Saldaño

Allan B. Polunsky Unit, Texas: prison where Victor Saldaño remains on death row; a case relevant to human rights and the death penalty — The Allan B. Polunsky Unit in Texas houses death row. Victor Saldaño has spent nearly three decades there, rekindling the debate on the death penalty and human rights.

H2 Victor Saldaño on death row: conditions and complaints

Saldaño is 53 years old and, according to his legal representation, is the inmate who has spent the longest time on death row in American history. While the average time between sentence and execution is around 15 years, his case is close to double that. His attorney, Juan Carlos Vega, claims that his psychological deterioration is extreme and that his daily regimen includes long hours of sedation and reduced rations.

The case resulted in two death sentences and two international setbacks. In 2000, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the first sentence after Texas recognized that the trial had been tainted by claims of racial bias. A new trial in 2004 again ended in a death sentence . In both instances, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) declared the convictions void and recommended release, a ruling that was not followed by the U.S. authorities.

Victor Saldaño, police record in Texas (1996), death row — Recorded in Texas, September 1996; beginning of the case that landed him on death row and in the human rights debate

Victor Saldaño: isolation, daily routine, and mental deterioration

The crime occurred on November 25, 1995, in a parking lot on the outskirts of Dallas. Saldaño, then 24, and Mexican Jorge Chávez robbed and shot Paul Ray King, 46, a computer salesman. Hours later, police arrested Saldaño with the victim's gun and belongings; Chávez confessed and named him as a co-author.

In the first case, Texas applied a "future dangerousness" protocol that included variables such as age, sex, and race. This framework, now repealed, was one of the pieces used by the defense to allege discrimination. It led to the 2000 ruling ordering a redo of the trial.

Victor Saldaño at the Polunsky Unit, Texas' death row — Pictured in the visiting area; according to his defense, his mental health deteriorated after years of isolation.

Victor Saldaño and the IACHR: decisions and real scope

The IACHR later reiterated its findings and, according to the defense, sent them to the U.S. authorities for compliance. The United States, which does not recognize the binding nature of the American Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Man, maintains that the Commission's decisions are not enforceable.
For years, the Argentine Foreign Ministry supported the appeals, filed briefs with the courts, and facilitated travel for the family.

Victor Saldaño and Lidia Guerrero visit a Texas prison — Lidia Guerrero visits her son at the Polunsky Unit; the family files a complaint with the IACHR regarding the death penalty.

Why the US doesn't comply with rulings on Víctor Saldaño

The legal representation claims that recent support has been reduced and that there are no active efforts due to fears of a diplomatic conflict. The relevant ministry did not respond to inquiries, according to the defense.

Vega asserts that in 26 states with the death penalty, there are nearly 2,890 convicted, and that another 24 have abolished the punishment. He asserts that there are no clear differences in public safety between them, which is why he considers the death penalty useless. In 2016, Lidia Guerrero and the lawyer himself were received by Pope Francis, a gesture that the defense recalls as the greatest external support.

Foreign Ministry and Pope Francis in the Víctor Saldaño case

Pope Francis greets Lidia Guerrero, mother of Víctor Saldaño — Meeting in 2016 at the Vatican; the family sought international support against the death penalty

Timeline of the Victor Saldaño case

Today, the international front remains at the IACHR, which, according to the defense, recently notified the transfer of requests to denounce judicial racism at the OAS and to establish financial compensation . The family rejects the request for clemency to commute the sentence to life imprisonment. They say they seek compliance with international decisions and the closure of a waiting period they consider incompatible with human rights.