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title: Alabama Set to Carry Out First Nitrogen Gas Execution. Here’s Why That’s Controversial | TIME
description: Alabama will attempt to put an inmate to death with nitrogen gas on Thursday night, a never before used execution method that the state claims will be humane but critics call cruel and experimental.
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# Alabama Set to Carry Out First Nitrogen Gas Execution. Here’s Why That’s Controversial

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<!-- video src="https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/y1SpLkwI.m3u8" -->
## Video: Alabama Set to Carry Out First Nitrogen Gas Execution. Here’s Why That’s Controversial

[Watch (HLS stream): Alabama Set to Carry Out First Nitrogen Gas Execution. Here’s Why That’s Controversial](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/y1SpLkwI.m3u8) (1:47)

![Alabama Set to Carry Out First Nitrogen Gas Execution. Here’s Why That’s Controversial](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/y1SpLkwI/poster.jpg?width=720)

_Published 2024-01-25. Alabama will attempt to put an inmate to death with nitrogen gas on Thursday night, a never before used execution method that the state claims will be humane but critics call cruel and experimental._


---

Jan 25, 2024 5:38 PM UTC

---

## More From This Series

[All Videos](https://time.com/video/)

[Alabama Executes a Man With First-of-its-Kind Nitrogen Gas Method](/video/KsZn22vf/)

### Alabama Executes a Man With First-of-its-Kind Nitrogen Gas Method

[Alabama Executes Muslim Inmate After His Request for an Imam Was Denied](/video/kIdRYvUc/)

### Alabama Executes Muslim Inmate After His Request for an Imam Was Denied

[An Alabama Death Row Inmate Heaved and Coughed During His Execution](/video/PIbDc7BO/)

### An Alabama Death Row Inmate Heaved and Coughed During His Execution

---


## Transcript

State of Alabama on Thursday January 25th intends to execute death row inmate Kenneth Eugene Med with nitrogen gas. This will be the first time it has been years in the nation is not the world. This is how Alabama says it will work the state intends to trap Smith to a gurney in the execution chamber at Holman Prison and place an industrial-grade respirator face mask over his face from approximately his forehead to Jen the warden will then activate with a state is calling a nitrogen hypoxia system that will replace breathing air. Call think mr. I from lack of oxygen the Alabama Attorney. General's office told a panel of federal judges that this will be the most painless and Humane excuse the methods developed by the critics have their doubts and point out the state can't know exactly what will happen because his execution method has never been tried previously Smith attorneys say that he is at risk for seizures Strokes potentially choking to death on his own vomit and a prolonged execution that could leave him in a vegetative state instead of killing them as attorneys have as the appellate courts and the US Supreme Court to block the execution of his argument is that it would be unconstitutional to execute a second time since the state tried to execute by Smith by lethal injection in 2022, but called the procedure because a difficulty connecting intravenous lives.

There are several protests scheduled outside the Alabama capital. But the state says it intends to proceed on Thursday night.

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