The United States began preparations for the first ever nitrogen gas execution. This has raised concerns about human rights. Reuters writes, reports UNN.
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The first-ever execution by nitrogen gas asphyxiation is scheduled to take place in Alabama on January 25.
Kenneth Smith, convicted of murder for hire in 1988, is executed.
It is reported that Kenneth's executioners will tie a mask to his face connected to a nitrogen cylinder designed to deprive him of oxygen.
Human rights activists and United Nations experts have criticized this method, saying it is likely to violate the international treaty against torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment.
This method is also opposed by the convict Smith, 58, himself. He sued the Alabama Department of Corrections, claiming that the proposed method carries dangerous risks, including that the mask with his face could be broken, allowing oxygen to enter him, preventing his execution. Such a scenario could trigger a stroke or leave Smith in a permanent vegetative state, he argued.
However, a federal judge ruled against him, saying he was unlikely to show that the new method constituted cruel or unusual punishment. Robert Grass, a lawyer representing Smith, said he plans to appeal.
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Smith was to be executed by lethal injection in November 2022. However, numerous attempts to insert an intravenous line failed. Thus, the killer escaped punishment.
Reuters notes that it is becoming increasingly difficult for the US to obtain barbiturates commonly used in lethal injection protocols. This is partly due to a European ban that prohibits pharmaceutical companies from selling drugs used in executions. As a result, some states have tried to revive old methods such as firing squads. Alabama, Mississippi, and Oklahoma have introduced new gas-based protocols.