Yesterday, the Alabama House voted to allow the use of nitrogen gas for executions and it now goes to the Governor for her review. This method, in theory, would asphyxiate inmates with the gas if lethal injection drugs were not available or if it was ruled unconstitutional for a particular prisoner. However, nitrogen gas has never been used for an execution in any state.
Executive Director Randall Marshall said:
“This is deeply troubling. Our state lawmakers should be committed to the Constitutional principle that cruel and unusual punishment may not be inflicted. Since there have been no executions performed anywhere with nitrogen gas, there is no way to ensure that this method would not be cruel. Instead, Alabama would be turning the death penalty into state sponsored experimentation on human beings.
We urge Governor Ivey to reject this bill. People on death row are just that: people. The state should not be sanctioning unproven and untested methods for treatment of any kind, but especially not to kill people. If they are having difficulty obtaining approved drugs for executions, then perhaps it is time to reconsider whether we should be performing them at all.”
