US to Implement Death Penalty Method Deemed 'Inhumane' by UN for the First Time

The United States is set to carry out its first execution using nitrogen gas, reports Voice of America. The first inmate to be executed with nitrogen gas will be 58-year-old Kenneth Smith, who was sentenced for a contract killing that occurred in 1988, according to Reuters. The execution is scheduled for January 25, 2024, at a correctional facility in Alabama. A mask connected to a gas canister will be placed over the inmate's face.

UN experts are urging US authorities not to employ nitrogen gas, stating that this method of execution subjects the inmate to "cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or even torture." In a statement, four UN special rapporteurs said this type of execution contradicts the international convention against torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.