"Controversy Surrounds Alabama's First Nitrogen Gas Execution"

Alabama executed Kenneth Eugene Smith using nitrogen gas, marking the first use of this method in the U.S. since 1982. The execution, which took about 22 minutes, sparked debate over capital punishment and raised concerns about potential cruelty. Smith, convicted of a murder-for-hire killing in 1988, appeared to shake and convulse on the gurney before being pronounced dead. The European Union and the U.N. Human Rights Office expressed regret over the execution, while Alabama Governor Kay Ivey called it justice. The use of nitrogen gas as an execution method has drawn criticism and legal challenges, with some expressing alarm about its potential to violate the constitutional ban on cruel and unusual punishment.