lethal injection drugs

The State of Alabama is preparing to conduct its third execution with nitrogen gas tonight. Carey Grayson is within hours of a death sentence for the 1994 killing of a Jefferson County woman. The use of nitrogen hypoxia is still considered controversial and experimental. We got an international view of the situation, and an explanation on how we got here.

CNN is reporting that the State of Alabama is agreeing to a request from Muslim death row inmate that his body not be autopsied following his planned execution next week. This follows action by the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights organization.

An Alabama inmate will not ask the courts to block his execution next week but is requesting that the state not perform an autopsy on his body because of his Muslim faith, according to a lawsuit.

The Alabama Supreme Court has authorized the execution of a man convicted of killing a delivery driver who stopped at an ATM. Justices granted the Alabama attorney general's request to authorize an execution date for Keith Edmund Gavin. Governor Kay Ivey will set the day of the execution, which will be carried out by lethal injection.

The European Union and the U.N. Human Rights Office are expressing regret over the death of convicted killer Kenneth Smith. The EU called the first ever use of nitrogen gas "particularly cruel." The U.N. says the death penalty does not deter crime. APR news may be asked to explain to news listeners in eastern Europe how Alabama administers capitol punishment. The investigative news website "Dnevnik" in Bulgaria’s capitol city of Sofia contacted APR and asked for our input.

An Alabama inmate remains scheduled to be the first person in the United States to be put to death with nitrogen gas. The U.S. Supreme Court is rejecting a request for a stay of execution for Kenneth Eugene Smith. Prior to this decision, his attorneys were hoping for a last-minute reprieve from federal courts in his bid to halt the death sentence from being carried out.

A federal appeals court refused to stop an upcoming execution in Alabama, rejecting an inmate's argument that the state has a history of botched lethal injections. James Barber is scheduled to be put to death tonight at a south Alabama prison, in the first execution scheduled in the state since Gov. Kay Ivey paused them in November for an internal review.

Alabama’s decision to change how it carries out executions is still drawing criticism. The state’s Supreme Court abolished the one-day time frame for executions allowing the governor to extend the amount of time needed to execute someone.

Alabama Governor Kay Ivey is seeking a pause in executions and ordering a "top-to-bottom" review of the state's capital punishment system. The move occurred after an unprecedented third failed lethal injection.

The U.S. Supreme Court has issued a temporary stay on the execution of an Alabama prison inmate.The nation's high court stayed the execution of Tommy…