Edited by Deepali Verma
An Alabama man, Kenneth Smith, has been put to death by using nitrogen gas in the first known execution of its kind. He was pronounced dead after breathing pure nitrogen gas through a face mask at 8.25 pm (local time) on January 25.
His case became the first known execution by nitrogen hypoxia. His lawyers had argued that it amounted to a form of “cruel and unusual punishment”. Death by nitrogen gas is an untested procedure and is often criticised for causing unnecessary suffering.
Smith, 58, was a contract killer that had been on the death row since 1996. His conviction was for the murder of Elizabeth Sennett in 1989, as per the BBC.
The US Supreme Court as well as a federal court had denied Smith’s last minute appeal to press pause on the execution, even as his attorneys argued that death by nitrogen amounted to cruel and unusual punishment that is banned by the US Constitution.
Smith, in 2022, had managed to survive the state’s attempt to execute him via a lethal injection as they could not find a vein. Post the failed attempt, Smith had made a request to be executed by nitrogen gas, asking Alabama not to attempt another execution by lethal injection.
“The execution was carried out by nitrogen hypoxia as per the law. This method was previously requested by Mr. Smith as an alternative to lethal injection. Mr. Smith got what he asked for at last, and his case can finally be put to rest,” remarked Alabama Governor Kay Ivey.
As per BBC, the lethal injection makes use of drugs that have become more difficult to procure, which has resulted in a nation-wide fall in the number of executions.
Reports suggest that Smith’s execution took 22 minutes. “He appeared to shake and writhe on the gurney,” reported NBC, and sometimes appeared to be in struggle against the restraints. This resulted in several minutes of heavy breathing until he lost consciousness.
