Paris Slams Botched Oklahoma Execution, White House Says Not 'Carried Out Humanely'
France condemned on Wednesday the botched execution of a death row inmate in Oklahoma who writhed in agony and finally died of a heart attack after a lethal injection went awry.
"France condemns the execution of Clayton Lockett yesterday in the state of Oklahoma," said deputy foreign ministry spokesman Vincent Floreani.
The country called on authorities in Oklahoma to put a moratorium on the death penalty "with a view to abolishing this punishment, as numerous other American states have done," Floreani added, saying France opposed capital punishment anywhere in the world.
Lockett, a convicted murderer and rapist, was administered a new, untested three-drug protocol at his execution Tuesday after European manufacturers refused to sell the most commonly used anesthetic -- pentobarbital -- for executions, causing shortages in several U.S. states.
He convulsed and mumbled incoherently after receiving the injection and finally died of a massive heart attack 40 minutes later.
Later on Wednesday, the White House said the execution fell short of humane standards.
"We have a fundamental standard" in carrying out executions, that they need to be "carried out humanely," White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters.
"This case fell short of that standard," he added.
Source: Agence France Presse
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