death penalty
First nitrogen execution carried out in the USA
In the USA, a person sentenced to death has been executed for the first time using a new nitrogen method.
58-year-old Kenneth Eugene Smith died on Thursday evening in a prison in the US state of Alabama using so-called nitrogen hypoxia, according to the organization Death Penalty Information Center, which tracks all executions nationwide. During the procedure, Smith was given nitrogen via a face mask; he subsequently died from a lack of oxygen.