UN Experts Express Concerns Over First U.S. Nitrogen Gas Execution: Potential for “Grave Suffering”

United Nations experts have issued a stark warning regarding the scheduled execution of death row inmate Kenneth Smith in Alabama, who is set to become the first person in the U.S. to be executed using nitrogen gas. The UN experts caution that the proposed method, involving the inhalation of pure nitrogen or toxic concentrations through a gas mask, could lead to "grave suffering" and may be in violation of the prohibition on inhuman, cruel, or degrading punishment.

The use of nitrogen hypoxia as a method of execution is a controversial practice that has drawn global attention. Kenneth Smith, a. . .