US Supreme Court rejects stop of execution with nitrogen After fire in South Africa that killed 76: suspect wanted to burn body in cellar

The US Supreme Court has refused to stop the planned nitrogen execution of a man in the US state of Alabama. A corresponding request from the man’s lawyers was rejected on Wednesday in the US capital Washington. The Supreme Court did not give a reason for this. The lawyers had previously argued that there were too many unanswered questions to execute the convict at this point. However, not all legal remedies have yet been exhausted to stop the execution.

Kenneth Eugene Smith, who was sentenced to death for murder-for-hire in 1988, is expected to die on January 26 German time of so-called nitrogen hypoxia. In these types of executions, a person is administered nitrogen through a face mask – the result is death from lack of oxygen. A death sentence has never been carried out in this way in the US. According to a spokeswoman, the UN Human Rights Office is not aware of any other similar cases.

Human rights experts from the United Nations and Amnesty International warn of a potentially gruesome death. There is therefore no scientific evidence that breathing in pure nitrogen does not cause serious suffering. The 58-year-old’s lawyers have so far unsuccessfully objected to the execution. Smith was scheduled to be executed by lethal injection in 2022. However, prison staff were unable to place the necessary cannula in his arm. He was returned to his cell after spending several hours on an execution table. (sda/dpa)