On January 26, 2024, Alabama executed a man using nitrogen gas for the first time in the United States. The European Union and the U.N. Human Rights Office expressed regret over the execution, saying the death penalty violates the right to life.
Nitrogen gas is sometimes used to kill animals, but has never been used to execute humans in the United States before.
Supporters of using nitrogen hypoxia believe it is an easier and more humane alternative because it does not require an injection and is swift and painless.
However, Alabama’s protocol for execution by nitrogen asphyxiation
makes no provision for sedation.
Smith’s attorneys had raised concerns that he could choke to death on his own vomit as the nitrogen gas flows.