"UN Warns First U.S. Nitrogen Gas Execution May Violate Human Rights"

The U.N. human rights office has urged the U.S. state of Alabama to halt its first planned execution of a prisoner by nitrogen gas asphyxiation, citing concerns that it could constitute torture and violate international law. The prisoner, Kenneth Smith, is scheduled to be executed on Jan. 25, and the U.N. has raised issues with the lack of provision for a sedative prior to execution. The use of nitrogen gas as a method of execution is gaining ground in some U.S. states due to difficulties in obtaining lethal-injection drugs, prompting the U.N. to repeatedly raise the issue with U.S. federal authorities.