UN: Planned US execution with nitrogen could be torture
Published: Tuesday, Jan 16th 2024, 13:50
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The planned execution of a man in the US state of Alabama using a new method could be tantamount to torture in the opinion of the UN Human Rights Office. Kenneth Eugene Smith (58), who was sentenced to death for a murder in 1988, is to be killed with nitrogen gas. He is to inhale nitrogen through a face mask and die for lack of oxygen. Instead of inventing new methods of execution, the authorities should dispense with the death penalty altogether, said a spokeswoman for the office on Tuesday in Geneva. The execution date is January 25.
Smith's lawyers have so far objected to the nitrogen method to no avail. An attempted execution with a lethal injection failed in 2022 when prison staff were unable to insert the necessary cannula into his arm. After several hours of lying strapped to an execution table, he was taken back to his cell.
The UN Human Rights Office knows of no case in which an execution was carried out using nitrogen, the spokeswoman said. The method is used on animals. However, the US veterinary association recommends a tranquilizer for large animals beforehand. This was not planned for Smith's execution. "We have serious concerns that Smith's execution under these circumstances may violate the prohibition against torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment and his right to effective remedy," said the spokeswoman, Ravina Shamdasani.
©Keystone/SDA
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