Massive Criticism of First Nitrogen Execution in the United States

Massive Criticism of First Execution Using Nitrogen

For the first time in the United States, an inmate has been executed using nitrogen. The international criticism of the method is growing, and now the US government has also expressed concern.

Around 7:55 pm local time on Thursday evening, Kenneth Smith is said to have spoken his last words. Thirty minutes later, he was pronounced dead in an Alabama prison, said John Hamm, the head of the state’s correctional agency, during a press conference.

Smith, who was sentenced to death in 1996 for his involvement in a contract killing, became the first person worldwide to be executed in this way. He was supplied with nitrogen through a mask on his face until he suffocated due to lack of oxygen.

“Smith held his breath as long as he could. He struggled against his restraints a little, there were some involuntary movements and restless breathing. This was all expected and is part of the side effects we have studied in nitrogen hypoxia,” described Hamm the execution process.

Pastor Criticizes Execution as Torture

Smith’s spiritual advisor, Pastor Jeff Hood, was present during the execution. He, in turn, said that correctional officers in the room were visibly surprised that Smith did not lose consciousness within seconds. He told CNN that he saw “someone fighting for their life for minutes”.

Hood initially had no words. He had never seen anything “incomprehensibly evil” like this before. It was torture, he said.

EU and UN Warn Against Nitrogen Method

Smith’s lawyers had tried until the last moment to stop the execution of the 58-year-old – both in the Alabama courts and in the Supreme Court, the highest court in the US. The European Union and the United Nations also condemned the execution as an “especially cruel method” and warned that it may become more widespread.

The US government has also expressed “concern” about the use of nitrogen for carrying out a death sentence. The death penalty gives President Joe Biden “cause for concern,” said White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre.

Besides Alabama, inmates in the US states of Mississippi and Oklahoma could also “choose” this method of execution, said Attorney General Steve Marshall in an interview with CNN. Whether states “offer” this method depends on the authorities there. Marshall suspects that more states will do so. In Alabama alone, according to Marshall, there are 43 more people on death row who have already chosen this method.

Execution by Lethal Injection Failed

Kenneth Smith was originally scheduled to be executed by lethal injection two years ago. However, at that time, the prison staff failed to insert the necessary cannula.

Smith, at the age of 22, was involved in the contract killing of Elizabeth Sennett. After the execution, her son Michael said that nothing that happened would bring his mother back. It was a “bittersweet day, but not one to celebrate.” The victim’s family was relieved that it was finally over.