on wednesday, Expert The United Nations (UN) has expressed concern about anticipated executions by nitrogen hypoxia in Alabama and called on state and federal authorities to halt the practice.

Alabama plans to execute Kenneth Eugene Smith on January 25 using nitrogen hypoxia, an untested method that has never been used to carry out the death penalty. This is the method. Experts have “expressed alarm” that the gas used to execute Smith could have led to a painful death from asphyxiation. They also warned that the experimental use of nitrogen-hypoxic asphyxiation in this case could violate laws prohibiting cruel and inhumane treatment.

Experts said they were concerned that nitrogen hypoxia could lead to a painful and humiliating death.

Experts include:

• Morris Tidball Binns, Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions
• Alice Jill Edwards, Special Rapporteur on Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment
• Mr Tran Mofokeng, Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
• Ms Margaret Satterthwaite, Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers

Smith was convicted in 2000 for his role in the 1988 murder of Elizabeth Sennett. The jury voted 11-1 to sentence Smith to life in prison without parole, but the judge reversed that decision and sentenced Smith to death. Alabama had previously unsuccessfully attempted to execute Smith by lethal injection on November 22nd.

Smith's execution had been widely criticized even before UN experts considered the issue. Protocols regarding the use of nitrogen hypoxia have been heavily edited by the state of Alabama, leaving the public unable to understand the safety precautions, the source of the gas, and the qualifications of the individuals subject to punishment.

many have They argued that the gas could cause fatal harm to those carrying out or witnessing the execution. Even the Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC) understands the risks involved, as Smith's psychological advisor revealed that the agency had him sign a document acknowledging the risk of witnessing Smith's execution.

Rep. Chris England (D-Tuscaloosa) told APR that Alabama's attempt to execute Smith using nitrogen gas shows the state's ingenuity when it comes to putting people to death. Told.

United Nations experts also warned that Alabama's use of nitrogen hypoxia executions could violate international law, including international law to which the United States is a party. This law is the body of the Convention against Torture and its principles for the protection of all persons under all forms of detention or imprisonment. The Convention Against Torture protects against punishments that can cause severe pain or harm, which in this context means the possibility of suffocation.

The body of the principle prevents detainees from being subjected to medical or scientific experiments. Smith's lawyers are seeking to halt the execution, arguing that Smith is being used as a “guinea pig” because no individual has ever been executed by nitrogen hypoxia before, and his will be the first. It is said that