IT
IT WAS
IT WAS A
IT WAS A CLEAR GASP, YOU KNOW, AND IT JUST SORT OF LOOKED LIKE A FISH OPENING OR CLOSING HIS
MOUTH.
HE SMILED AND LAUGHED AT US AND
THEN WENT TO SLEEP.
SO ALL YOU PEOPLE THAT THINK
THESE DRUGS ARE BAD OR THE
WITH YOU GUYS.
IT TOOK TWO HOURS AND 15
INJECTIONS WITH EXECUTION DRUGS
TO PUT MURDERER JOSEPH WOOD TO
DEATH BACK IN 2014, A LEGAL
SETTLEMENT AFTER THE BOTCHED
EXECUTION FORCED THE STATE TO
STOP CARRYING OUT THE DEATH
PENALTY.
NOW SEVEN YEARS LATER, THE
STATE IS ON THE BRINK
OF RESTARTING THE DEATH CHAMBER
AND DOCUMENTS OBTAINED BY
GUARDIAN DOTCOM SHOW THE
ARIZONA DEPARTMENT
OF CORRECTIONS HAS BEEN
PREPARING A NEW OPTION FOR
DEATH ROW INMATES A LETHAL
CYANIDE BASED GAS SIMILAR TO
WHAT THE NAZIS USED AT
AUSCHWITZ.
WE TURN TO REPORTER JIMMY
JENKINS OF CCWS.
WHENEVER THERE'S AN IMPORTANT
STORY IN OUR PRISON SYSTEM AND
THIS IS CERTAINLY ONE OF THOSE
TIMES.
WELCOME BACK TO SQUARE OFF
JIMMY.
THANKS FOR HAVING ME, BRANT.
LET'S START WITH THE BIG
PICTURE I KIND OF LEFT OFF
THERE.
WHY ARE EXECUTIONS RESUMING NOW
AFTER THIS SEVEN YEAR HIATUS?
WELL, IT SEEMS LIKE STATES LIKE
ARIZONA WERE EMBOLDENED AFTER
THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION
SUCCESSFULLY WENT THROUGH WITH
FEDERAL EXECUTIONS IN TWENTY
TWENTY.
THE METHOD OF EXECUTION WAS
SINGLE DRUG DOSE
OF PENTOBARBITAL AND SO AFTER
STATES SAW THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT WAS SUCCESSFUL DOING
THAT, ARIZONA INCLUDED
ANNOUNCED THAT THEY WERE GOING
TO GO AFTER THAT SAME DRUG.
SO THE STATE HAS SAYS IT HAS
ACQUIRED LETHAL INJECTION DRUGS
IT NEEDS IT CAN GET THEM IN THE
FORM IT NEEDS THEM IN.
AND NOW OF COURSE WE FIND OUT
FROM THIS REPORTING FROM THE
GUARDIAN THAT THEY HAVE ALSO
SO-CALLED REFURBISHED OR
RETROFITTED THE GAS CHAMBER AND
WE'LL GET TO THE GAS CHAMBER IN
A MINUTE.
AND WHEN YOU SAY ARIZONA, WHAT
THE PEOPLE YOU'RE REALLY
TALKING ABOUT ARE ATTORNEY
GENERAL MARK BURNETT.
HE'S PUSHED FOR THIS AND
GOVERNOR DOUG DUCEY HAS SIGNED
OFF ON RESTARTING EXECUTIONS.
CORRECT.
WHICH HAS MADE NO SECRET THAT
HE HAS BEEN IN HIS WORDS
PURSUING JUSTICE FOR THE
VICTIMS OF THESE PEOPLE THAT
HAVE BEEN CONVICTED.
HE'S BEEN AGGRESSIVELY HE'LL
PUT THE LETTER OUT PUBLICLY
THAT HE WOULD SEND TO THE
GOVERNOR SAYING THAT WE NEED TO
GET GOING WITH THESE EXECUTIONS
THAT'S BEEN GOING ON FOR ALMOST
A YEAR NOW.
SO YES, THOSE THREE DEPARTMENTS
ARE THE ONES THAT ARE
ORCHESTRATING ALL THIS AND THE
GUARDIAN PUBLISHED DOCUMENTS
THAT SHOW THE DEPARTMENT
OF CORRECTIONS HAS BEEN
REFURBISHED RENOVATING THE GAS
CHAMBER AT A PRISON IN FLORENCE
HASN'T BEEN USED IN MORE THAN
20 YEARS.
WHY WOULD DR. BRING BACK THE
GAS CHAMBER?
WELL, THAT IS BECAUSE IN
NINETEEN NINETY TWO THERE WAS
THE EXECUTION OF DON HARDING
WHICH WITNESSES DESCRIBED AS
REALLY GRUESOME.
IT WAS A LETHAL GAS EXECUTION
LASTED MORE THAN 10 MINUTES
AFTER THAT ARIZONA VOTERS
ACTUALLY VOTED TO MOVE ARIZONA
FROM GAS EXECUTIONS TO LETHAL
INJECTION.
BUT IN THE LAW IT SAYS THAT IF
YOU WERE CONVICTED OF YOUR
CRIME BEFORE THAT CHANGE TOOK
PLACE, THEN YOU HAVE THE CHOICE
OF BEING EXECUTED BY LETHAL GAS
OR BY LETHAL INJECTION.
AND SO THIS MEANS THAT THE
DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS HAD
TO BE ABLE TO OFFER THIS CHOICE
AS WELL, WHICH MEANS BEING
READY TO USE THE GAS CHAMBER IF
THEY NEEDED TO.
AND HERE'S THE PART THAT HAS
DRAWN THE INTERNATIONAL
BACKLASH THESE DOCUMENTS
OBTAINED BY THE GUARDIAN SHOW
THAT THE STATE HAS BOUGHT THE
CHEMICALS TO MAKE HYDROGEN
HYDROGEN CYANIDE THAT ARE
SIMILAR TO THE NOTORIOUS ZYKLON
B USED BY THE NAZIS TO KILL
MORE OF THE MILLIONS IN DEATH
CHAMBERS DURING WORLD WAR TWO,
THE VAST MAJORITY OF THEM JEWS.
I WANT TO JUST READ A QUOTE
FROM THE EXECUTIVE VICE
PRESIDENT OF THE INTERNATIONAL
AUSCHWITZ COMMITTEE WHO TOLD
THE NEW YORK TIMES FOR
AUSCHWITZ SURVIVORS THIS IS A
DISGRACEFUL ACT THAT IS
UNWORTHY OF ANY DEMOCRACY AND
MOREOVER INSULTS THE VICTIMS
OF THE HOLOCAUST.
WHY WOULD THE STATE BE USING
THIS GAS IN PARTICULAR?
DO YOU HAVE ANY INSIGHT ON
THAT?
WELL, ZYKLON B WAS THE NAME
OF A PESTICIDE PESTICIDE
INVENTED IN GERMANY THAT WAS
MADE WITH HYDROGEN CYANIDE AND
WHAT WE KNOW IS THAT THE
DEPARTMENT HAS OBTAINED THE
CHEMICALS NECESSARY TO MAKE A
CYANIDE GAS AND I BELIEVE IN
THE DEPARTMENT'S CASE THEY HAVE
OBTAINED POTASSIUM CYANIDE.
ONE OF THE ATTORNEYS FOR FRANK
ATWOOD, ONE OF THE DEATH ROW
INMATES WHO'S BEEN SUBMITTED
THEIR WE'RE TRYING TO MOVE
FORWARD WITH HIS EXECUTION.
THEY ACTUALLY NOTED THAT THE
DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS
INTERNAL PROTOCOLS CALL FOR
SODIUM CYANIDE.
SO HE'S QUESTIONING WHETHER
THEY'VE EVEN OBTAINED THE RIGHT
CHEMICAL.
BUT THE POINT HERE IS THAT THEY
ARE TRYING TO OBTAIN THE
CHEMICALS TO MAKE A CYANIDE GAS
AND A SIGN I GUESS IS WHAT WAS
USED IN GAS CHAMBERS.
ZYKLON B IS WHAT WAS KNOWN AS
THE TRADE FOR THAT PESTICIDE.
RIGHT.
AND SO LET'S END WITH WHAT THE
GOVERNOR IS SAYING.
THE ATTORNEY GENERAL IS SAYING
D.O.C. IS SAYING ABOUT THIS
REVIVAL OF THE GAS CHAMBER.
THE EXACT QUOTE FROM THE
DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS IS
THEY'RE PREPARED TO FULFILL
THEIR CONSTITUTIONAL
OBLIGATIONS, CARRY OUT COURT
ORDERS AND DELIVER JUSTICE TO
THE VICTIMS FAMILIES SO WE ARE
TO ASSUME THAT MEANS THAT THEY
HAVE THE LETHAL INJECTION DRUGS
THEY NEED.
THEY HAVE THE GAS, THE
CHEMICALS PRECURSORS THAT AND
ALL THE FACILITIES ARE PREPARED
AND READY.
AND SO NOW WE'RE GOING TO HAVE
TO SEE IF THE SUPREME COURT
APPROVES DEATH WARRANTS FOR THE
TWO PEOPLE THAT THE ATTORNEY
GENERAL HAS ASKED FOR.
AND IF THAT HAPPENS, THE
DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS WILL
HAVE THIRTY FIVE DAYS TO THEN
ACT ON THOSE WARRANTS.
THAT MEANS THAT WE COULD SEE
EXECUTIONS AS EARLY AS THIS
FALL, AS EARLY AS THIS FALL.
ALL RIGHT.
JIMMY JENKINS, THANK SO MUCH
FOR JOINING US.
I DON'T THINK WE'VE HEARD THE
LAST WORD ON THIS.
I THINK YOU'RE RIGHT, BRANT.
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