today the first person in the united states will be executed using a gas mask containing 100% nitrogen gas, meaning he will suffer and die of sudden hypoxia. although the state of alabama claims to predict that the nitrogen gas will "cause unconsciousness within seconds, and cause death within minutes,â medical experts have pointed out that there are risks that a person subjected to this form of execution could suffer from seizures, choking on their own vomit, and prolonged suffering, and claim that âalabama has refused to be forthcoming with the fine details of execution by forced nitrogen gas inhalationâ affecting the defendantâs ability to âadequately make a legal defence.â
the UN has warned that this plan could constitute torture. the American Veterinary Association has advised again the use of nitrogen hypoxia for euthanasia of almost all mammals. experts also warn that safety issues for those in the vicinity of the execution could block prisoners right to have a spiritual advisor in the execution chamber as established by the supreme court in 2022, as well as the right to healthcare as established by the supreme court in 1976 should they not die immediately.
Kenneth Smith, who will be the the guinea pig for this inhumane punishment, could not be sentenced with the death penalty if his case was tried today as this sentence was imposed by a judge overruling the decision of a jury, which is no longer permitted.
the use of nitrogen hypoxia to kill prisoners has been approved in alabama, mississippi, and oklahoma, and is a risk in arizona, oklahoma, and nebraska.
you can sign this petition to several of these statesâ governors and legislators here. if youâre a jewish community leader wanting to join the jewish community statement opposing the gas chamber you can sign here. you can also reach out directly to your reps, especially alabama governor Kay Ivey, who has the authority to stop this execution (although time is running very short) and other executions of this type in the future.
if youâre in âcanadaâ like me, the canadian company walter surface companies, owned by a canadian private equity firm called onex corp is complicit in this execution as one of its subsidiaries is producing the gas masks that will be used in these executions. you can sign a petition here and do anything else you can to put pressure on these groups.
iâm horrified that any country still uses the death penalty. iâm horrified at the precedent that this particular execution sets. nobody should be okay with this.
