Secret Chief
Very strong language
Death by nitrogen....possibly...
"Kenneth Eugene Smith is set to become the first person in the US to be executed by nitrogen gas.
The UN's High Commissioner for Human Rights last week said the never-before-used method could amount to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, and called for a halt.
Medical experts and campaigners have warned about the risk of catastrophic mishaps, ranging from violent convulsions to survival in a vegetative state, and even the possibility of gas leaking from the mask and killing others in the room, including Mr Smith's religious advocate.
Dr Joel Zivot, an associate professor in anaesthesiology at Emory University's School of Medicine, accused the Alabama authorities of a "terrible" track record of "cruel" executions.
In 1996 a jury recommended life in prison without parole for Smith, but the judge overruled them and sentenced him to death. At his trial he admitted to being present when the victim was killed, but says he did not take part in the attack."
- Death penalty: Kenneth Eugene Smith says wait for untested execution like 'torture'
Context:
More than a third of executions in the US this year were botched or highly problematic, according to a new report.
"Michael Benza, a law professor at Case Western Reserve University who has represented death row inmates, told the BBC that the primary reason for execution failures was "using a medical model of executions, lethal injection, but not using medical people to carry it out"."
- A third of US executions botched in 2022 - report
Thoughts?
"Kenneth Eugene Smith is set to become the first person in the US to be executed by nitrogen gas.
The UN's High Commissioner for Human Rights last week said the never-before-used method could amount to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, and called for a halt.
Medical experts and campaigners have warned about the risk of catastrophic mishaps, ranging from violent convulsions to survival in a vegetative state, and even the possibility of gas leaking from the mask and killing others in the room, including Mr Smith's religious advocate.
Dr Joel Zivot, an associate professor in anaesthesiology at Emory University's School of Medicine, accused the Alabama authorities of a "terrible" track record of "cruel" executions.
In 1996 a jury recommended life in prison without parole for Smith, but the judge overruled them and sentenced him to death. At his trial he admitted to being present when the victim was killed, but says he did not take part in the attack."
- Death penalty: Kenneth Eugene Smith says wait for untested execution like 'torture'
Context:
More than a third of executions in the US this year were botched or highly problematic, according to a new report.
"Michael Benza, a law professor at Case Western Reserve University who has represented death row inmates, told the BBC that the primary reason for execution failures was "using a medical model of executions, lethal injection, but not using medical people to carry it out"."
- A third of US executions botched in 2022 - report
Thoughts?
