First 'Nitrogen Gas' Execution Scheduled in the US Sparks "Human Experiment" Backlash

The United States is set to carry out the world’s first execution using nitrogen gas on the 25th (local time).

Foreign media including CNN reported on the 24th (local time) that the U.S. Supreme Court rejected death row inmate Kenneth Smith’s request to halt the execution, deeming the nitrogen gas execution unjust. Accordingly, judicial authorities in Alabama plan to execute Kenneth Smith by nitrogen gas on the night of the 25th local time.

Alabama death row inmate Kenneth Smith. [Image source=AP·Yonhap News]

The nitrogen gas execution method involves placing a face mask on the inmate and injecting nitrogen gas, causing death by hypoxia. This method has been approved in Alabama, Oklahoma, and Mississippi, but has never been carried out. Foreign media reported that if the execution proceeds as planned, it will be the world’s first case of execution using an inert gas like nitrogen.

Smith, the death row inmate, was convicted in 1988 for murdering a pastor’s wife for money. His execution was scheduled to be carried out by lethal injection in November 2022, but on the day of execution, the injection failed because the vein for administering the drug could not be found. Failures in lethal injection due to inability to find veins are known to occur rarely, often when the inmate is obese and veins are hard to locate, or in cases like drug addicts whose vein tissues have been damaged from frequent needle use.

When deciding on a re-execution, the state government chose the nitrogen gas injection method instead of drugs. However, international organizations and religious groups are opposing the upcoming execution by this new method, pointing out that it is a kind of biological experiment with unknown pain levels.

The United Nations Human Rights Office stated that nitrogen gas execution is an unverified method not even used for euthanizing large animals, calling it tantamount to torture and expressing opposition.

Santegidio, a Catholic charity under the Vatican, also announced that if Alabama authorities do not halt the execution plan, they will launch an “Alabama boycott” campaign targeting European companies and tourists.

However, the Alabama state government maintains that nitrogen gas execution is the most humane method devised so far. Authorities referenced the victims killed by Smith, stating that “it is far better than what Smith did to the victims.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.