Arkansas Faith Leaders Oppose Nitrogen Gas Execution Law

A coalition of faith leaders from multiple religious backgrounds, including Christian, Jewish, and Buddhist representatives, has called on Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders to halt the state’s plan to use nitrogen gas hypoxia for executions, which was authorized by a new law in March 2025. The leaders argue that nitrogen suffocation is an experimental, untested, and potentially torturous method that violates the inherent dignity of all humans, including those convicted of crimes. They delivered a letter signed by over 40 clergy members urging the governor not to restart executions and to consider more humane and restorative approaches to justice. The faith leaders emphasize moral and spiritual objections to the death penalty itself, citing religious doctrines that uphold the sanctity of life and criticize the state’s role as an executioner. Arkansas has not carried out executions since 2017 but is now poised to implement nitrogen gas executions as an alternative to lethal injection, which has faced drug shortages. Additionally, legal challenges have been filed against the new law, claiming it violates the separation of powers by granting the corrections department broad discretion over execution methods without judicial oversight.