First Execution in US History Using Nitrogen Gas Carried Out

The first execution in US history using nitrogen gas has been carried out in Alabama, where 58-year-old Kenneth Eugene Smith was executed, according to the office of the state's Attorney General Steve Marshall.

“Justice has been served, Smith has been executed,” Marshall stated. The procedure lasted for about 30 minutes.

The execution took place following unsuccessful attempts to contest the method at the US Supreme Court, despite objections from the UN and human rights advocates.

Kenneth Eugene Smith was convicted of a murder-for-hire scheme in 1988. This type of execution is permitted in three states, but has rarely been used in practice. The inmate was administered nitrogen through a respiratory mask, which induced hypoxia and ultimately death.

Proponents of this method claim that it is painless, while opponents point out issues that could turn the execution into torture. Experts have noted that the condemned could experience convulsions, choke on their own vomit, or if the mask does not fit tightly, the killing process could take much longer.

According to American media reports, Smith himself chose this method. At the same time, several previous attempts to carry out his execution have been unsuccessful. In November 2022, the execution was supposed to be conducted through a lethal injection, but at the time allocated for the execution, officials were unable to insert a catheter into the inmate's vein.