Doctor Accused of Torture, 'Medical Experimentation' over Botched Execution

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Common Dreams

Published on Tuesday, October 14, 2014
by Common Dreams

Doctor Accused of Torture, 'Medical Experimentation' over Botched Execution

Family of Clayton Lockett files suit naming attending physician, who they say violated Hippocratic Oath and protocols established at the Nuremberg Doctor Trials

by Lauren McCauley, staff writer

The family of Clayton Lockett, an Oklahoma death row inmate who in April was killed in a botched execution, is suing those who participated in the his death, including a board-certified physician, saying they violated numerous treaties including those established at the post-World War II Nuremberg trials.

In his lawsuit filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Oklahoma City, Gary Lockett, charged that the "brutal" execution of his brother, which took nearly an hour, "was a violation of the Eighth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, a violation of innumerable standards of international law, and a violation of elementary concepts of human decency."

After the administration of the controversial and untested drug midazolam, Lockett—as described in the court documents—"writhed in agony, convulsed, gasped for breath, moaned repeatedly and took approximately 43 minutes to die at the hands of the Defendants."

Among those defendants identified in the suit is Dr. Johnny Zellmer, who the suit charges "engaged in human medical experimentation in torturing Clayton Lockett to death, in violation of the Eighth Amendment, the Hippocratic Oath, and numerous international treaties and protocols including those established at the Nuremberg Doctor Trials dealing with human experimentation on unwilling prisoners."


Read more: http://www.commondreams.org/news/2014/10/14/doctor-accused-torture-medical-experimentation-over-botched-execution

[greiner3]

1. DAMNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!

[freedom fighter jh]

2. I wonder how many of those violations of law . . .

. . . would apply to any execution, not just a botched or experimental one.

[edgineered]

3. Among the defendants hopefully is that POS

Governor of theirs, Mary Fallin (to be read as Failing, failing miserably)

Not being in support of the death penalty it is hard to determine for long she should be strapped to a gurney and made to suffer. I'm thinking along the lines of how Alex was 'cured' in the movie "A Clockwork Orange". It can be done. just saying.

[geomon666]

4. Pulled no punches with that suit.

I hope they are successful.

[customerserviceguy]

6. Yeah, should produce a nice payday

for the family of a man who otherwise was of no use to them, or any other person. Plenty of money for the ambulance chaser that filed this suit, too.

Oh, one little complication, this might well go to an Oklahoma jury which will not want to inflict insult upon injury to the families of the true victims of this crime.

[Gore1FL]

9. The families of the people klled by the person executed are not involved.

Just because the victim sucked, it does not reduce the consequences of the actions taken by the defendants in this lawsuit.

A crime is a crime whether or not the victim is a saint or demon.

[customerserviceguy]

10. Oh, but they are involved

The murderer's death should have produced some closure for them, when they never have to see his name in a newspaper, or hear it mentioned on TV. This lawsuit will prolong their agony, all to make some attorney rich and his loser clients well off by a man who could not produce an honest living by staying away from crime.

Unless that jury I mentioned has something to say about it...

[Gore1FL]

13. That's a bit of a stretch.

How many degrees of separation before someone is held accountable to legal standards?

The person who killed their loved ones is dead. If that doesn't give them closure, I suspect waiving the consequences of a botched execution won't either.

[customerserviceguy]

15. It keeps the name of the killer in the news

I'm not going to presume that such mention should mean nothing to them, as you apparently seem to do.

[duhneece]

16. Don't you just love brilliant attornies?

...at least when they are on the side of justice.

[FarPoint]

5. I see the return of a firing squad execution plan in the future.

I can just see 6 red dot laser's focused or aimed at a vital organ. The NRA and military police types very well could see this style of execution being humanely preformed.

Me, I think some form of deep anesthesia then lanoxin would be effective. Obviously this issue needs to be updated.

[Jackpine Radical]

7. It is beyond me how physicians can ethically participate in executions at all,

just as I do not comprehend how psychologists can participate in torture.

[SoLeftIAmRight]

8. Morphine

Better yet... No executions.

[ballyhoo]

11. I hope the suit is successful but considering the

place is partially still in the 19th century I fear it will not be. I'll go to a couple other boards and see if we can get something started to help out.

[Hoppy]

12. The best part of this is the publication of the physician's identity.

That may discourage other M.D.'s from participating.

Zellmer can now be labeled, Dr. Death. Who would want to be his patient after that?

[Gore1FL]

14. Maybe drugs won't be the only thing in short supply if executioners are held accountable. n/t