cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ca/post/14097254
Smith’s execution by “nitrogen hypoxia” took around 22 minutes, according to media witnesses, who were led into a viewing room at the William C Holman correctional facility in Atmore shortly before 8 pm local time.
After the nitrogen gas began flowing, Smith convulsed on the gurney for several minutes. The state had previously said the nitrogen gas would cause Smith to lose consciousness in seconds and die within minutes, according to the Associated Press.
“I’ve been to four previous executions and I’ve never seen a condemned inmate thrash in the way that Kenneth Smith reacted to the nitrogen gas,” Lee Hedgepeth, a journalist who witnessed the execution, told the BBC’s Newsday programme.
I can read accounts from people who’ve observed the results of the methods, and in some cases from interviewing people who survived partial executions, and I spoke in the belief after reading those accounts that each individual method has strong indications that it’s akin to torture. It might have sounded like my strong statement was just saying some bullshit but it’s actually based on individually learning about each method, and concluding for each one that there’s a strong indication that it’s akin to torture.
You’re free to feel differently, or to bring to the table some sort of reason why what I said was wrong, if you like.