AMNESTY International yesterday condemned as "absolutely shocking" the execution of the 1,000th prisoner in the United States since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976.

Amnesty International today condemned as “absolutely shocking” the execution of the 1,000th prisoner in the United States since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976.

Convicted killer Kenneth Lee Boyd was executed early today, becoming the 1000th prisoner put to death since the United States reinstated the death penalty in 1976.

The fate of a convicted killer from North Carolina, set to become the 1,000th person executed in the US since capital punishment was reinstated in 1976, rests today with federal appeals courts and the state’s governor.