Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s announcement that the execution of the Fort Hood gunman would be shown publicly has drawn criticism from both parties in Congress. Several Republicans who support the death sentence say broadcasting it is what dictatorships do. Donald Trump says he has not yet decided.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has been widely condemned for announcing that the execution of the Fort Hood gunman would be made public, Al Jazeera reported.
Hegseth told a conservative news outlet on Thursday, October 8, that former Army Major Nidal Hasan’s death by firing squad would be shown.
The Case
Hasan, a former Army psychiatrist, killed 13 people at the Fort Hood military base in Texas in 2009.
He was sentenced to death in August 2013, after a military jury convicted him on 45 counts of premeditated murder and attempted murder.
President Donald Trump authorised the use of a firing squad on Monday. Hegseth said the execution would take place at the base on December 3 at 1pm local time, the hour at which the 2009 shooting took place.
Republican Objections
Several Republicans who support the sentence objected to showing it.
“Hasan should face the death penalty, but making his execution public and streaming it? Beyond disgusting,” said Senator Thom Tillis. “Public executions are what oppressive dictatorships like Iran and Afghanistan do. It should not be happening in America.”
“I absolutely support the sentence of death, but live-streaming executions is what jihadists do. America is better than that,” said Congressman Austin Scott, a member of the House Armed Services Committee.
Congressman Rob Bresnahan said the focus should be on the victims and their families. “Their pain deserves respect, not a public show,” he said.
Democratic Objections
Senator Jack Reed, the senior Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, urged the administration to reconsider.
“Live-streaming an execution is a barbaric spectacle,” he told Al Jazeera. He called it a “gift to anti-American terrorist recruiters”.
Trump Has Not Decided
On Friday, Trump confirmed that he “absolutely” approved of the execution, but said he had not made a decision about showing it by livestream.
Reaction Abroad
Criticism has also come from outside the United States.
- The UN human rights office warned that livestreaming an execution would breach the prohibition of torture, UN News reported.
- The Dutch prime minister, Rob Jetten, called the decision “absurd”, according to Politico.
Image: Pete Hegseth in 2022, before he became defense secretary (file photo). Photo by Gage Skidmore via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0.
