"Alabama's Controversial Execution Method: The Emergence of Nitrogen Gas"
Alabama death row inmate Kenneth Eugene Smith has been executed by nitrogen gas, becoming the first person in US history to be put to death through this method. Witnesses, including his religious adviser, reported that Smith appeared conscious and struggled for life for 22 minutes, despite authorities predicting unconsciousness within seconds and death in minutes. The United Nations and human rights experts had raised concerns over the use of nitrogen gas in executions, calling it potentially torturous and inhumane. Alabama Governor Kay Ivey defended the execution, stating that Smith got what he asked for, while Smith's final statement expressed love and gratitude towards his family.
- Outcry as Alabama executes Kenneth Smith with first new method in decades – live The Independent
- Alabama inmate Kenneth Smith executed with nitrogen gas, marking the emergence of a wholly new method of capital punishment CNN
- Alabama has executed a man with nitrogen gas, the first time the controversial new method has been used in the U.S. The Killeen Daily Herald
- Mengele-like logic underpins Alabama's plan to gas a man to death Montgomery Advertiser
- Letters to the Editor: Could Alabama export its new execution method? Los Angeles Times
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