Calls grow for US death penalty halt after ‘torturous’ botched execution of Christa Pike
Pike alive but in critical condition as experts call ordeal that unfolded in Tennessee Wednesday ‘unimaginably barbaric’
TL;DR
- Christa Pike survived a lethal injection attempt in Tennessee, remaining alive in critical condition.
- Lawyers, doctors, and faith leaders are calling for a moratorium on the US death penalty due to the botched execution.
- The incident is described as 'unimaginably barbaric' and 'cruel and torturous' by legal representatives.
- This failed execution follows a series of botched attempts in other US states, raising concerns about the reliability and humanity of capital punishment.
- Experts argue that the US death penalty violates the constitutional prohibition on 'cruel and unusual punishment.'
- Support for the death penalty in the US has declined, with recent figures showing 52% public support, down from 80% in 1993.
- Tennessee has had two failed executions in the past five months.