The European Union (EU) and the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Office have expressed their regret over the recent execution of a man using nitrogen gas in the U.S. state of Alabama. Both organizations argue that the death penalty violates the right to life and fails to act as an effective deterrent to crime.
Kenneth Eugene Smith was executed in Alabama on Thursday, making history as the first person to be put to death using pure nitrogen gas. This unprecedented method of execution has placed the United States at the forefront of the ongoing debate surrounding capital punishment.
Reports from the Alabama prison indicate that Smith appeared to shake and convulse before being pronounced dead. He was administered the gas through a face mask, causing oxygen deprivation. The UN Human Rights Office's spokesperson, Ravina Shamdasani, expressed concern over the suffering endured by Smith, stating, 'He was writhing and clearly suffering. Rather than looking for novel, untested methods to execute people, let's just bring an end to the death penalty. This is an anachronism that doesn't belong in the 21st century.'
Shamdasani further highlighted that the UN's human rights chief, Volker Türk, has written to authorities in Alabama regarding this issue. The UN office plans to continue advocating for the abolition of the death penalty and will utilize every available means to prevent other states from employing similar execution techniques.
The deployment of the nitrogen gas method marks the first time a new form of execution has been used in the United States since 1982 when lethal injections were introduced and subsequently became the most common method. However, the EU's diplomatic service has termed this method as particularly cruel and unusual punishment, according to leading experts.
The EU statement also expressed concern over the increased number of executions in the United States last year. Despite an overall decline in the use of capital punishment in the country since 2020, 24 individuals were executed in five states. The EU called upon states that retain the death penalty to implement a moratorium and move towards abolition, aligning with the global trend in this regard.
The use of nitrogen gas in executions has been met with strong opposition due to the potential for prolonged suffering and the lack of testing and validation of the method's humaneness. As calls for the abolition of the death penalty gain momentum worldwide, it remains to be seen whether this recent execution will prompt further debates and potential policy changes within the United States.
