Close X
Thursday, November 14, 2024
ADVT 
International

Ronald Smith, Canadian On Death Row Awaits Outcome Of Challenge Of Montana's Execution Methods

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 01 Sep, 2015 11:15 AM
  • Ronald Smith, Canadian On Death Row Awaits Outcome Of Challenge Of Montana's Execution Methods
CALGARY — A constitutional challenge to Montana’s execution methods could have a direct impact on a Canadian on death row in the U.S. state.
 
Lawyers for two condemned inmates, including Ronald Smith of Red Deer, Alta., are in a Helena courtroom arguing that a sedative called for under Montana's lethal injection protocols could lead to an "excruciating and terrifying" death.
 
Ron Waterman of the American Civil Liberties Union says the drug pentobarbital doesn't adhere to a state law requiring an “ultra-fast-acting” barbiturate be used.
 
The hearing is to include testimony from medical experts who could shed light on pentobarbital's effects.
 
Doctors have indicated that "ultra-fast-acting" isn't a common medical term, which makes it difficult to form a definitive opinion on its application.
 
Waterman isn't expecting an immediate ruling on what he says is a complicated case.
 
"The judge knows that his opinion will be reviewed by the Montana Supreme Court regardless of how he rules, so he will take the time and be careful with his opinion," Waterman said in an email.
 
"At this point, he needs to consider the credibility of the two principal witnesses and therefore he will do so and weigh out both sides before entering any decision."
 
The hearing is set for two days and District Court Judge Jeffrey Sherlock is expected to reserve his decision.
 
Smith, who turns 57 next week, was convicted in 1983 for shooting Harvey Madman Jr. and Thomas Running Rabbit while he was high on drugs and alcohol near East Glacier, Mont.
 
He had been taking 30 to 40 hits of LSD and consuming between 12 and 18 beers a day at the time of the murders. He refused a plea deal that would have seen him avoid death row and spend the rest of his life in prison.
 
Three weeks later, he pleaded guilty. He asked for and was given a death sentence. Smith later had a change of heart and has been fighting for his life ever since. He has had a number of execution dates set and overturned.
 
The civil liberties union filed a lawsuit in 2008 on behalf of Smith and another death-row inmate in Montana. It argued that lethal injections the state was using were cruel and unusual punishment and violated the right to human dignity.
 
Sherlock ruled in 2012 that the injections were unconstitutional. He also pointed to a lack of training for individuals who administer the drugs and to a discrepancy over whether two or three drugs should be used.
 
The judge ordered the current trial to determine whether new drugs would satisfy requirements.

MORE International ARTICLES

Terror Attacks On 3 Continents: One Beheaded In France, Terror Attacks In Kuwait, Tunisia Kill 62

Terror Attacks On 3 Continents: One Beheaded In France, Terror Attacks In Kuwait, Tunisia Kill 62
A man was beheaded and several others injured on Friday in a suspected Islamist attack on a gas factory in Isere, in the Rhone-Alps region of France, which was declared a "terrorist" act by President Francois Hollande, media reports said.

Terror Attacks On 3 Continents: One Beheaded In France, Terror Attacks In Kuwait, Tunisia Kill 62

#BobbyJindalisSoWhite: De-Hyphenated Piyush 'Bobby' Jindal Causes A Twitter Storm In India

#BobbyJindalisSoWhite: De-Hyphenated Piyush 'Bobby' Jindal Causes A Twitter Storm In India
Louisiana's Indian-American Governor Bobby Jindal has found himself in the eye of a twitter storm ever since he kicked off his US presidential campaign distancing himself from his Indian heritage.

#BobbyJindalisSoWhite: De-Hyphenated Piyush 'Bobby' Jindal Causes A Twitter Storm In India

Wales Man Held Guilty Of Trying To Kill Sikh Dentist Sarandev Bhambra

Wales Man Held Guilty Of Trying To Kill Sikh Dentist Sarandev Bhambra
Zack Davies, 26, of Chester Street in Mold, told the court that he never intended to kill Sarandev Bhambra, 24, when he launched his hammer and machete attack, Mirror online reported.

Wales Man Held Guilty Of Trying To Kill Sikh Dentist Sarandev Bhambra

Same-Sex Couples Can Now Marry Across US

Same-Sex Couples Can Now Marry Across US
Giving gay rights activists their biggest victory yet, the US Supreme Court ruled Friday that same-sex couples can marry nationwide and states cannot ban such marriages - an issue that divides America and India too.

Same-Sex Couples Can Now Marry Across US

US Report Highlights 'Widespread Corruption' In India

US Report Highlights 'Widespread Corruption' In India
Even as it praised India for holding "the largest democratic elections in history", the US on Thursday highlighted "police and security force abuses" and "widespread corruption" among its "most significant human rights problems".

US Report Highlights 'Widespread Corruption' In India

Malaysia's Attempt To Move Diwali Holidays Faces Heat

Malaysia's Attempt To Move Diwali Holidays Faces Heat
A recent attempt by Malaysia’s Terengganu state education department to include Diwali holiday dates in the summer to extend the Hari Raya break has faced the ire of the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA).

Malaysia's Attempt To Move Diwali Holidays Faces Heat