Oklahoma sued over "Barbaric" 'botched' execution of Black Man
From [HERE] The brother of Clayton Lockett, a Black man whose prolonged execution last April caused Oklahoma to suspend its death penalty to review procedures, filed a lawsuit against the state of Oklahoma Monday. The lawsuit, filed in the US District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma , contends that the execution, which lasted nearly 45 minutes, was a violation of Lockett's Eighth Amendment [text] rights:
The court-ordered killing of Clayton Lockett by the Defendants as punishment for his murder of Stephanie Neiman, was a violation of the Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution, a violation of innumerable standards of international law, and a violation of elementary concepts of human decency. The barbaric spectacle was a disgrace to the People of the United States of America and brought shame to the State of Oklahoma.
The lawsuit refers to Lockett's death as "tortured" and seeks monetary damages as well as a declaration that Lockett's constitutional rights were violated.
Executions in Oklahoma remain on hold while authorities continue to review procedures. Last month racist suspect (in photo) Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin announced a series of new protocols [JURIST report] that are expected to take effect once executions resume in the state. Her announcement followed a report [text, PDF] issued by the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety detailing the findings of the investigation into Lockett's death. Also in September the state asked a federal court to dismiss a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union, The Guardian and The Oklahoma Observer seeking greater media access to the execution chamber.