Firing Squad Added to Federal Execution Protocol in US

In the United States, the United States Department of Justice has decided to adopt firing squads as a permitted method of execution as the administration of Donald Trump moves to expand and expedite capital punishment cases.

The Justice Department has also reauthorised the use of single-drug lethal injections using pentobarbital, which was used to carry out 13 federal executions during Trump’s first administration.

Officials said the changes are part of a broader push to resume and intensify federal executions following a moratorium imposed during the administration of Joe Biden.

The Biden administration had removed pentobarbital from the federal execution protocol citing concerns over possible unnecessary pain and suffering.

According to the Death Penalty Information Center, the federal government had not previously included firing squads as an execution method in its official protocols.

At present, five US states allow executions by firing squad: Idaho, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Utah.

The move is expected to trigger renewed debate in the US over capital punishment, execution methods, and human rights concerns.