"Controversy Surrounds Alabama's First Nitrogen Gas Execution"
TL;DR
Alabama executed Kenneth Eugene Smith using nitrogen gas, marking the first American execution of its kind, but the method has not resolved the legal, moral, and technical challenges surrounding the death penalty. Witnesses reported that Smith "shook and writhed" for at least two minutes before breathing heavily, contrary to the state's claim that he would lose consciousness within seconds. Alabama's attorney general hailed the execution as a "historic" breakthrough, criticizing opponents of the death penalty for pressuring those involved in the process.
- Alabama Hails Nitrogen Gas Execution, a New Attempt to Address an Old Challenge The New York Times
- Alabama completes first nitrogen gas execution | REUTERS Reuters
- Alabama death row inmate faces 1st nitrogen gas execution ABC7 News Bay Area
- Mengele-like logic underpins Alabama's plan to gas a man to death Montgomery Advertiser
- UN rights chief on first nitrogen gas execution in US: ‘May amount to torture’ Hindustan Times
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