The death penalty and the prohibition of torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment 2012, para. 38
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Following a number of executions in the United States, it has recently become apparent that the regimen, as currently administered, does not work as efficiently as intended. Some prisoners take many minutes to die and others become very distressed. New studies conclude that even if lethal injection is administered without technical error, those executed may experience suffocation, and therefore the conventional view of lethal injection as a peaceful and painless death is questionable. Experts suggest that current protocols used for lethal injection in the United States probably violate the prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment.
Legal status
Non-negotiated soft law
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Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment