UNITED STATES. FLORIDA HALTS EXECUTIONS AFTER LINGERING DEATH OF INMATE

December 15, 2006: Florida Governor Jeb Bush called a temporary halt to all executions while a panel reviews how lethal injections are administered following the lingering death of inmate Angel Nieves Diaz on December 13. Diaz, 55, took 34 minutes to die and had to be administered two lethal doses when the needle missed his vein piercing tissue instead, according to a preliminary autopsy.
"I look forward to the Commissions expeditious review of the lethal injection protocols in Florida to ensure the method is consistent with the ... Constitution and its prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment," said Bush.
The executive order suspending all executions, however, does not mandate the reviewing panel to propose alternatives methods of capital punishment. It only asks that they examine whether lethal injections are properly administered.
Convicted of a 1979 murder, Nieves's ghastly botched execution rekindled debate on whether lethal injections constitute cruel and unusual punishment.
Witnesses to the execution said Nieves appeared to grimace and become cross-eyed when he was administered the lethal cocktail of three chemicals, one to anesthetize him, another to leave him unconscious and the third to stop his heart from beating.
People opposed to lethal injections, including Nieves himself, have argued unsuccessfully in court that the method violates inmates' constitutional rights since the anaesthetic can wear off before the chemical that burns the internal organs -- including the heart -- causing excruciating pain is administered.
Their arguments were based on a University of Miami medical study that also found that US executioners sometimes lack adequate medical training and equipment to ensure the lethal injection is correctly administered when the inmate has passed out. (Sources: AFP, 15/12/2006)