The Pentagon’s plan to livestream the execution of Nidal Hasan, a former army psychiatrist who killed 13 people at Fort Hood, has received fierce criticism from across the political spectrum. In an interview with Real America’s Voice, defense secretary Pete Hegseth said the firing squad will carry out the sentence at Fort Hood, Texas, at 1pm on Thursday, 3 December. This would be the first US military execution in more than 60 years.
A defense department official later confirmed the execution will be livestreamed, prompting condemnation across the political divide. Speaking on CNN, Democratic senator Chris Murphy said: I mean, that’s disgusting. What, is he mimicking ISIS executions?
I mean, I understand that in this country we have the death penalty, but public execution is medieval. It’s frankly one of the things that we abhor about terrorist groups, and the fact that the United States is doing it - I just learned this. That is just absolutely extraordinary, galling.
No matter whether you support or oppose the death penalty, public hangings and executions? That’s what America has become? Um, that’s, that’s pretty extraordinary.
Republican senator Thom Tillis said public executions were what “oppressive dictators” did. In a social media post, he said: Hasan should face the death penalty, but making his execution public and streaming it? Public executions are what oppressive dictatorships like Iran and Afghanistan do.
It should not be happening in America. Meanwhile, Democratic senator Patty Murray commented: We can seek justice in this country without glorifying violence and turning an execution into a grotesque public spectacle. What this criminal did was abhorrent and must be punished – but we as a country cannot condone livestreaming a man’s death for entertainment.
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