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Anthony Sanchez (in 2005)
Photo: Jaconna Aguirre / AP
In the US state of Oklahoma, a man convicted of the murder of a student has been executed. 44-year-old Anthony Sanchez was killed with a lethal injection on Thursday in a prison in the small town of McAlester, authorities said. Sanchez was sentenced to death in 2006 for the rape and murder of the 21-year-old.
The man, who was convicted on the basis of DNA traces, had maintained his innocence. He blamed his father, who committed suicide last year, for the 1996 crime. The 44-year-old is the third inmate to be executed in Oklahoma this year. A total of 18 death sentences have been carried out in the United States since the beginning of the year.
Execution by lethal injection is quite controversial in the United States. One-third of executions by syringe in 2022 have experienced complications and problems. This is according to a study published in mid-December 2022 by the organization Death Penalty Information Center. In total, 2022 people were sentenced to death in the USA in 18. Apart from the Corona years, this is the lowest value since 1991.
Killing by syringe sparks debate
In the United States, there were reportedly a total of 2022 execution attempts in the United States in 20, two of which were canceled due to massive problems. A total of seven attempts had "significant problems," said the Death Penalty Information Center, which specializes in the death penalty. It reported "incompetence of the executed, non-compliance with protocols or errors in the protocols".
The execution of the death penalty in the USA is repeatedly the target of fierce criticism and the subject of disputes. Many manufacturers of the drugs used for lethal injections now refuse to sell their products to states where the death penalty is still carried out.
jok/AFP