(Reuters)Arkansas plans to execute a death-row inmate Thursday evening in what would be the state’s fourth lethal injection in a week, concluding a frantic execution schedule that has drawn international scrutiny. State authorities said the schedule was necessary because one of their lethal injection drugs expires at the end of April and, due to an ongoing drug shortage, they have no guarantee of obtaining more. On Wednesday afternoon, the Arkansas Supreme Court denied Williams’s motions seeking to stay his execution. (This common sedative has been controversial when used in executions, and it is the drug Arkansas officials say expires on April 30.) According to internal logs released by Arkansas officials, Jones’s execution took 14 minutes and Williams’s took 17 minutes.

Source: Washington Post April 27, 2017 11:02 UTC