Experts concerned about planned nitrogen execution in the USA
Published: Wednesday, Jan 3rd 2024, 13:40
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UN human rights experts have expressed concern about an execution planned for the first time in the USA using nitrogen. "We fear that nitrogen hypoxia will lead to a painful and humiliating death," said the four independent UN experts in Geneva on Wednesday.
They are also of the opinion that "experimental executions by asphyxiation with gas would probably violate the prohibition of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading punishments".
In hypoxia executions, death is caused by a lack of oxygen. This will be "the first attempt" to use such a method of execution, according to the four experts on torture and arbitrary executions appointed by the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.
According to them, the US state of Alabama plans to carry out the death sentence against Kenneth Smith in this way on January 25. His execution by lethal injection was due to be carried out in November 2022, but was canceled at the last minute. Smith had been sentenced to death for a contract killing in 1988.
The UN experts expressed concern about the "severe suffering that execution by inhalation of nitrogen could cause". There is "no scientific evidence" to the contrary. They called on the US authorities to suspend the execution of Smith and every other person sentenced to death until the procedure has been reviewed.
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