United States: death penalty under fire from critics in Oklahoma after a failed execution – archyde

Death penalty under fire in Oklahoma. A death row inmate was shaken by vomiting and convulsions during his execution Thursday in Oklahoma (United States), where the executioners used a lethal cocktail suspected of causing excruciating suffering. John Grant, a 60-year-old African American, was sentenced in 2000 to death for the murder of a prison employee. After receiving the green light from the United States Supreme Court, the prison authorities of that State Conservative of the South injected him with three substances and his death was pronounced at 4:21 p.m. (11:20 p.m. in Paris).

This protocol had already been applied in 2014 and 2015, but the apparent suffering of the detainees led the state to declare a moratorium on executions. John Grant “began to convulse shortly after injecting the first product,” said US agency AP reporter Sean Murphy, who witnessed the scene. According to him, he convulsed about 20 times and vomited several times before dying. “I witnessed 14 executions, I had never seen that before,” added the journalist.

The condemned man’s ordeal immediately aroused strong criticism. “Oklahoma had sabotaged its last three execution attempts before its six-year hiatus, but apparently learned nothing from that experience,” commented Robert Dunham, who heads the Sentencing Information Center. death (DPIC).

“Oklahoma’s execution protocol did not work properly”

“For the third time in a row, the Oklahoma execution protocol has not worked properly,” added Dale Baich, lawyer for several convicts including John Grant. “There should be no more executions in Oklahoma until the trial begins in February,” which will deal with this specific point, he added.

“The execution of the prisoner Grant was carried out in accordance with the protocols of the correctional services of Oklahoma and without complications”, defended in a statement Justin Wolf, the director of the communications of the penitentiary services.

The latter had said a few days ago that their protocol was “humane and efficient” and that the executions could resume. Lawyer Dale Baich, however, stressed that there remained “serious questions” about the pain caused by this lethal cocktail and its compliance with the US Constitution which prohibits “cruel and unusual punishment”. Wednesday an appeal court had ruled in his favor and suspended the execution. But the authorities in Oklahoma immediately seized the Supreme Court of the United States to ask it to reverse this decision. Without explaining its reasons, the high court finally gave the green light to execution in extremis. Its three progressive judges, however, made it clear that they disagreed with the Conservative majority.