Arizona “Refurbishes” Its Gas Chamber, Buys Cyanide

The Guardian reports:

The state of Arizona is preparing to kill death row inmates using hydrogen cyanide, the same lethal gas that was deployed at Auschwitz.

Documents obtained by the Guardian reveal that Arizona’s department of corrections has spent more than $2,000 in procuring the ingredients to make cyanide gas. The department bought a solid brick of potassium cyanide in December for $1,530.

It also purchased sodium hydroxide pellets and sulfuric acid which are intended to be used to generate the deadly gas. The gas chamber itself, built in 1949 and disused for 22 years, has been dusted off and, according to the department, “refurbished”.

Read the full article. Photo: Gov. Doug Ducey.

The state of Arizona wants to restart executions and is preparing its gas chamber to use hydrogen cyanide, the same lethal gas that was deployed at Auschwitz.

This is not justice — it’s horrifying. https://t.co/pDqxK29p6r

— ACLU (@ACLU) May 28, 2021

“Arizona is preparing to kill death row inmates using hydrogen cyanide, the same lethal gas that was deployed at Auschwitz.” Let that sink in for a minute. Then take action by calling @dougducey’s office at 602-542-4331 and demanding he put a stop to this. https://t.co/9dO3whiuyu

— Sister Helen Prejean (@helenprejean) May 28, 2021

The details in this @Edpilkington story…

“…staff engaged in role play…Guards acted out as inmates who resisted going to their death, screaming: “This is murder”, “I’m innocent”…“This is against everything America stands for”.https://t.co/c9EmSsxWBv

— Maurice Chammah (@MauriceChammah) May 28, 2021