The US state of Alabama used nitrogen gas to put to death a convicted murderer
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It marked the first time that a new execution method has been used in the US since lethal injection
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Kenneth Eugene Smith was executed by nitrogen hypoxia, which involves pumping nitrogen gas into a facemask, causing the person to suffocate
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He was on death row for more than three decades after being convicted of the 1988 murder-for-hire of a pastor's wife
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The execution was described as a "horror show" by his spiritual advisor Reverend Jeff Hood. “It's a scene that will never leave me,” he said
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Critics compared nitrogen hypoxia to human experimentation, raising ethical concerns about its untested nature
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United Nations warned that the method might breach international prohibitions against torture and inhumane treatment
Image: Reuters
They also criticised the absence of a sedative provision before execution, a practice recommended for euthanizing large animals
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The White House also said it was "deeply troubled" by the execution
Image: whitehouse.gov
The last US execution using gas was in 1999 when a convicted murderer was put to death using hydrogen cyanide gas
Image: Pixabay
Image: doc.ok.gov
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