Tennessee death row prisoner Christa Pike survived two attempted lethal injections on Wednesday – raising further concerns across the US about the use of the drug pentobarbital in executions, and capital punishment in general.
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has ordered a full investigation, and temporarily halted all executions scheduled for later this year.
The UN human rights chief Volker Turk has urged the state not to make a new attempt to execute Pike, saying the physical and mental suffering arising from failed executions is “abhorrent and cruel”.
Christa Pike was sentenced to death in 1996 for the murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer.
Also in the Global News Podcast:
04:36 The US-Iran war and fears about the AI bubble bursting have put bond markets under pressure, as US borrowing costs reach their highest level since 2002
07:21 Dozens of people are reportedly killed in the latest fighting in Ethiopia’s Tigray region
09:39 Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praises the heroism of the passengers and crew who stopped a co-pilot’s attempt to crash a Flydubai flight to Israel – but questions remain about security
11:58 On World Sake Day, we look at why sales of Japan’s national drink have plummeted
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