Entries by Anumta Ali

In a change from pre­vi­ous pol­i­cy and prac­tice, Oscar Smith spent the last two weeks of his life in strict iso­la­tion, sep­a­rat­ed from oth­ers on death row, sur­veilled 24 hours a day, and only per­mit­ted vis­its by his attor­neys and spir­i­tu­al advi­sor. On May 15, the Nashville Banner detailed Tennessee’s new pol­i­cy to iso­late Mr. Smith imme­di­ate­ly before his exe­cu­tion. In com­ments to the Banner, Kelley Henry, one of Mr. Smith’s attor­neys, described the isolation…

On May 8, 2025, Mikal Deen Mahdi’s lawyers sub­mit­ted to the South Carolina Supreme Court the state pathol­o­gy report in his case which sug­gests that Mr. Mahdi’s exe­cu­tion last month by fir­ing squad did not go as planned. Pathologists report­ed that not only did Mr. Mahdi have two wounds as opposed to the antic­i­pat­ed three wounds from three South Carolina Corrections Department (SCDC) shoot­ers, but also that they missed the intend­ed tar­get over his heart, prolonging his…