AMSTERDAM – Mexico asked the World Court on Thursday to press the United States to review the convictions of 51 Mexicans on death row and to prevent them from being executed pending the procedure.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague ruled in March 2004 that the United States had violated international law by failing to inform the arrested Mexicans of their right to consular assistance and said the cases should be reviewed.

'Requests by Mexican nationals for the review and reconsideration ... have repeatedly been denied,' Mexico said in its application, filed to the court on Thursday.

It added the state of Texas had scheduled Jose Ernesto Medellin Rojas for execution on Aug. 5 and added at least four other Mexican nationals were 'in imminent danger of having execution dates set by the state of Texas.'

Mexico said the U.S. Supreme Court on March 25 determined in the case of Jose Ernesto Medellin Rojas that the World Court's judgment did not directly require U.S. courts to provide review and reconsideration under domestic law.

Mexico now wants the U.N.'s top court to declare that the United States under the 2004 ruling 'must provide review and reconsideration of the convictions and sentences.'