US: Louisiana restarts executions after 13 years Using Nitrogen Gas

In the United States, Louisiana's corrections officials have drafted and approved a new policy, allowing the state to resume executing death row inmates, Governor Jeff Landry announced on February 10.

The policy, which takes inspiration from Alabama's execution practices, introduces the use of nitrogen gas as the method of execution, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

Execution by nitrogen gas has sparked considerable controversy. When Alabama became the first state to employ this method last year, it drew significant scrutiny. Kenneth Eugene Smith, an inmate on death row in Alabama, was reported to have been “shaking and writhing” for approximately two minutes at the start of his execution.

Since then, Alabama has executed three more individuals using nitrogen gas, with the most recent execution occurring last week, despite the U.S. Supreme Court rejecting appeals concerning the method’s use.

Louisiana has not carried out an execution since 2010, NPR noted. The state currently has approximately 60 people on death row, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.

Governor Landry framed the new policy as a fulfilment of his commitment to crime victims. He stated that it represents “promises kept” and that “justice will be dispensed” as the sentences are carried out.

Details of the new policy reveal that nitrogen hypoxia will be administered by placing a mask over the inmate’s face, replacing oxygen with nitrogen gas. Inmates will be permitted access to a spiritual adviser, and the execution may be witnessed by victims or their families, as well as pre-authorized journalists.

The inmate will be medically monitored throughout the process, and they will have an opportunity to make a final statement prior to the execution.

By Aghakazim Guliyev