US Judge Halts Arkansas Executions

Washington, United States: A US judge halted the scheduled executions of eight inmates in Arkansas on Friday, preventing what would have been the state's first lethal injections in a decade amid controversy over the drugs used.

The death row inmates, with the first two executions set for October 21, had demanded to know which lethal drugs would be used to put them to death, after botched executions elsewhere in the country triggered outcry.

In his ruling, Pulaski County Circuit Court Judge Wendell Griffen issued a restraining order as part of the inmates' case challenging an Arkansas law allowing the state to withhold information about lethal drug manufacturers or suppliers.

The decision was valid pending a preliminary injunction hearing.

"Proceeding with plaintiffs' executions as scheduled will rob plaintiffs of an opportunity to litigate their rights under the Arkansas Constitution," Griffen said in his order.

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Griffen's ruling also prevents the state from executing a ninth inmate, Ledell Lee, who is involved in the suit but for whom an execution date has not yet been set.

Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge opposed the decision.

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"It is unfortunate that once again justice is being delayed for the victims of the crimes committed by the death row prisoners who filed this lawsuit," she said in a statement.

"These delays have gone on for far too long .I will continue to fight for the victims of these murders and their grieving families."

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Griffen's ruling comes amid controversy over lethal injections in the United States, with incidents of overdoses, intolerance or mistakes in preparing the drug.

At the same time, prison authorities are facing a shortage of lethal drugs, as pharmaceutical companies most of them European refuse to provide the ingredients for the deadly cocktail administered to inmates.

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Last year, Oklahoma death row inmate Clayton Lockett took 40 minutes to die due to a botched injection, bringing new attention to execution methods.

A growing number of death row inmates are now filing complaints saying that certain lethal drugs could cause inmates to suffer cruel and inhumane punishment, barred under the US Constitution.

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An autopsy report made public Thursday revealed that Oklahoma had executed an inmate in January using the wrong drug.