Current:Home > reviewsEU, UN Human Rights Office express regret over execution of a man using nitrogen gas in Alabama-LoTradeCoin
EU, UN Human Rights Office express regret over execution of a man using nitrogen gas in Alabama
lotradecoin NFT marketplace features View Date:2024-12-25 12:38:27
BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union and the U.N. Human Rights Office expressed regret Friday over the first execution of a man with nitrogen gas in the U.S. state of Alabama.
The 27-nation European Union and the Geneva-based U.N. rights office say the death penalty violates the right to life and does not deter crime.
Kenneth Eugene Smith was put to death in Alabama on Thursday with pure nitrogen gas, a first-of-its-kind execution that placed the United States at the forefront of the debate over capital punishment.
Smith appeared to shake and convulse before being pronounced dead at an Alabama prison after breathing the gas through a face mask to cause oxygen deprivation.
“He was writhing and clearly suffering,” Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for the U.N. Human Rights Office, said at a regular U.N. briefing in Geneva. “Rather than looking for novel, untested methods to execute people, let’s just bring an end to the death penalty. This is an anachronism that doesn’t belong in the 21st century.”
She said the U.N. human rights chief, Volker Türk, had written to authorities in Alabama about the issue, and said his office will continue to speak out and use “every tool in our toolbox” to prevent other states from doing so.
It was the first time a new execution method has been used in the U.S. since 1982, when lethal injections were introduced and later became the most common method.
“According to leading experts, this method is a particularly cruel and unusual punishment,” the diplomatic service of the EU said in a statement. It also expressed concern that the number of executions in the U.S. increased last year.
“Twenty-four people were executed in five states despite a steady, overall decline of the use of capital punishment in the U.S. since 2020,” it said. “We call for states that maintain the death penalty to implement a moratorium and move towards abolition, in line with the worldwide trend.”
veryGood! (99869)
Related
- How to watch 'A Charlie Brown Christmas' for free: Special date, streaming info
- Chelsea hires Sonia Bompastor as its new head coach after Emma Hayes’ departure
- BHP Group drops its bid for Anglo American, ending plans to create a global mining giant
- Hungary’s foreign minister visits Belarus despite EU sanctions, talks about expanding ties
- New Jersey targets plastic packaging that fills landfills and pollutes
- Argentina court postpones the start of a trial in a criminal case involving the death of Maradona
- Man accused of driving toward people outside New York Jewish school charged with hate crimes
- UN rights group says Japan needs to do more to counter human rights abuses
- Google forges ahead with its next generation of AI technology while fending off a breakup threat
- Families reclaim the remains of 15 recently identified Greek soldiers killed in Cyprus in 1974
Ranking
- Alex Jones keeps Infowars for now after judge rejects The Onion’s winning auction bid
- Key Republican calls for ‘generational’ increase in defense spending to counter US adversaries
- Nicole Brown Simpson's Sisters Share Rare Update on Her and O.J. Simpson's Kids
- Truckers suing to block New York’s congestion fee for Manhattan drivers
- Billboard Music Awards 2024: Complete winners list, including Taylor Swift's historic night
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Flowery Language
- Turkey signals new military intervention in Syria if Kurdish groups hold municipal election
- 6th house in 4 years collapses into Atlantic Ocean along North Carolina's Outer Banks
Recommendation
-
Stock market today: Asian stocks are mixed ahead of key US inflation data
-
Chinese national charged with operating 'world’s largest botnet' linked to billions in cybercrimes
-
Is 'color analysis' real? I put the viral TikTok phenomenon to the test − and was shocked.
-
Dance Moms' Kelly Hyland Shares Signs That Led Her to Get Checked for Breast Cancer
-
Secretly recorded videos are backbone of corruption trial for longest
-
The love in Bill Walton's voice when speaking about his four sons was unforgettable
-
Golden Goose sneakers look used. The company could be worth $3 billion.
-
When does the Nvidia stock split happen? What you need to know