Alabama became the first American state to implement a death sentence using nitrogen gas last Thursday, which sparked much controversy over this method, which some describe as tantamount to torture for the convict.
The state carried out the execution by nitrogen hypoxia on Kenneth Eugene Smith (58 years old), who was convicted in 1989 of killing Elizabeth Sennett, on the orders of her husband, a preacher in Alabama.
The state had attempted to execute Smith using lethal injection in 2022, but the procedures failed as employees found it difficult to find an intravenous line in his arm.
While the state of Alabama claims that the use of nitrogen gas is a quick and painless method of death, many medical experts disagree with this opinion, according to the magazine “Economist“.
Nitrogen makes up 78 percent of the air. But it is safe to inhale only when mixed with oxygen.
During execution, the prisoner breathes pure nitrogen through a mask, which displaces oxygen from the body and causes suffocation and death.
Some studies indicate that oxygen deprivation can cause pain similar to the pain of a heart attack.
The American Veterinary Medical Association stated in its 2020 euthanasia guidelines that nitrogen hypoxia is not an acceptable method of euthanasia for most mammals, describing it as “traumatic.”
In addition, if the mask is not placed on the prisoner properly, nitrogen may leak out, endangering other people in the room.
Several weeks before Smith’s execution, the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, warned that the measure might amount to torture.
But the US Supreme Court rejected a last-minute request by the prisoner’s legal team to halt his execution.
According to witnesses, Smith remained conscious for several minutes after the operation began, and appeared to be in extreme pain. “What we saw were minutes of someone fighting for their life,” said Pastor Jeff Hood, who was present during these moments.
According to the magazine, Smith’s death took 22 minutes.
Local news platform AL.com reported, citing media witnesses, that the convict “began writhing and floundering for about two to four minutes, followed by about five minutes of gasping.”
Although nitrogen gas has never been used to execute humans in the United States, it is sometimes used to kill animals.
But Turk’s office noted that even the American Veterinary Medical Association recommends anesthetizing large animals before culling them in this manner.
Alabama’s nitrogen execution law does not require anesthesia.
For his part, a spokesman for the European Union, which opposes the death penalty, confirmed that the 27-nation bloc feels “deep regret” for this execution.
“According to leading experts, this method in particular is cruel and is an extraordinary punishment,” he said in a statement.
But the state of Alabama defended this method, saying that it “may be the most humane method of execution ever used.”
#nitrogen #culling #controversial
2024-01-28 21:29:52
