Opponents of the death penalty suffered a setback when the US Supreme Court upheld the use of a contentious drug in executions, saying it does not violate a ban on cruel and unusual punishment.
In the case, called Glossip v Gross, three Oklahoma inmates argued that the executions using the drug violated the Eighth Amendment of the US Constitution which forbids “cruel and unusual punishments”. The concerns were raised after it was used in executions in three US states in 2014 that took longer than usual.
US Supreme Court judges ruled that the inmates did not prove that midazolam (contentious drug) was cruel and unusual when compared to known and available alternatives.
