On April 13, 2020, Governor Ralph Northam signed into law a bill ending execution secrecy in Virginia. This significant development marks a major victory against lethal injection secrecy in the US.
Under the terms of the repeal legislation, the suppliers of Virginia’s execution drugs will no longer be exempt from the state’s freedom of information act. This means that the state Department of Correction will no longer be able to use subterfuge to purchase medicines in breach of company contracts.
Having now been signed by Governor Northam, the legislation will come into effect on July 1, 2020.
Virginia is the first state in the US to repeal secrecy legislation, striking a meaningful blow against execution drug secrecy and helping to protect vital medicines from lethal misuse.
Read more on the risks posed by execution secrecy