Idaho Restricts Witness Access To Execution

The Idaho Department of Correction says it will not allow media witnesses to view the entire execution of Paul Ezra Rhoades, and two separate groups are protesting the policy.

Rhoades is scheduled to die by lethal injection today, making him the first person to be executed under Idaho's new lethal injection guidelines.

Prison officials say to maintain Rhoades' dignity, they won't allow witnesses to view him being restrained or having the IVs inserted.

But a group of Idaho news organizations say that policy conflicts with a 2002 federal court ruling that found the public, through the media, must be allowed to view executions in their entirety.

The news organizations have asked the state to reconsider.

In a separate effort, the ACLU of Idaho is protesting the restricted access.

Associated Press