Johor Sultan pardons three Mexicans on death row

In this May 17, 2012, file photo, Mexican brothers (from left:) Luis Alfonso, Simon and Jose Regino, are seen leaving a courthouse in Kuala Lumpur. - (AP Photo/Lai Seng Sin, File)

MEXICO CITY (AFP): The Sultan of Johor has commuted the death sentences of three Mexican brothers who were set to be hanged for drug trafficking crimes, Mexico said.

After years of lobbying by Mexican diplomats, Sultan Ibrahim Ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar commuted the men's death sentences to life in prison, Mexico's foreign ministry said Thursday (Sept 20).