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Pentagon Plans to Livestream Military Execution of Hasan
Confirmed
In Short: The Pentagon announced it will livestream the execution of Nidal Hasan, a decision that has sparked bipartisan criticism.
The Pentagon announced Thursday that it will livestream the execution of former Army Major Nidal Hasan, who was convicted of killing 13 people and injuring 32 others in a 2009 shooting at Fort Hood, Texas.
Hasan's execution, scheduled for December 3, will be the first military execution in decades and the first known live broadcast of a state-sanctioned execution.
The decision has drawn bipartisan criticism, with lawmakers from both sides of the aisle urging the Pentagon to reconsider the plan.
Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., the ranking member of the Armed Services Committee, said the livestreaming is 'disturbing and makes a mockery of our legal system.'
Senators from both parties also urged the Pentagon not to livestream the execution, with some comparing the move to oppressive dictatorships like Iran and Afghanistan.
Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell confirmed the livestreaming plans, stating, 'Judgment day for Hasan has finally come.'
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the execution would be public and transparent, adding, 'We’ll make sure that people are able to watch it.'
Vice President JD Vance cast doubt on whether the livestream will actually happen, telling reporters, 'I don’t know that that’s actually going to happen.'
However, if the livestream does occur, Vance said he would not be watching it.
The decision to livestream the execution has raised legal and ethical concerns, with some survivors of the Fort Hood shooting expressing mixed emotions about the plan.
One survivor, Roscoe Lunsford, said he plans to attend the execution in December because he wants to 'lock eyes' with Hasan while he takes his last breath.
Another survivor, who wished to remain anonymous, said, 'It's not completely shocking, given that death and war have historically always been documented through photographs and video. But it's just not something I expected to hear.'
What this adds
The decision to livestream the execution has sparked widespread condemnation, with critics arguing that it is a 'barbaric promotion of a culture of death.'
The Pentagon's announcement has also raised questions about the legal and ethical implications of broadcasting state-sanctioned executions, with some experts suggesting that it could set a dangerous precedent.
Background
The Pentagon announced it will livestream the execution of Nidal Hasan, sparking bipartisan backlash.
The Pentagon announced it will livestream the execution of Nidal Hasan, a decision that has sparked bipartisan criticism.
What's confirmed
- The Republican vice president said, "I don't know that that's actually going to happen," when asked about the plans that the Pentagon confirmed Thursday.
- The last military execution took place on April 13, 1961, when Army Pvt.
- "a barbaric promotion of a culture of death and must be reconsidered."
- "So whatever the controversy is about the method of the execution, I hope that people don't forget that this is a guy who brutally murdered a lot of innocent people," Vance said.
- "Now, that said, I mean, look, if it's ultimately livestreamed, I'm not going to be watching it," he added.
- But Vance then tried to set aside the controversy over the shocking plans for a public execution and said Hasan's crimes should not be forgotten.
- Hegseth told Real America's Voice the execution would be public "because people need to understand that there's serious consequences for these types of things."
- On Thursday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the proceedings would be available for public viewing.
- Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell confirmed the livestreaming plans, stating, 'Judgment day for Hasan has finally come.' Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the execution would be public and transparent, adding, 'We’ll make sure that people are able to watch it.' The decision to livestream the execution has raised legal and ethical concerns.
- US Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth had said that Nidal Hasan would be executed by firing squad and that it would be done "in public."
- The Army announced this week that the execution would take place at Fort Hood on Dec. 3 after Hasan was convicted of killing 13 people and injuring 32 others in a shooting at the military base in 2009.
- The U.S. will livestream the Army’s upcoming firing squad execution on Dec. 3 of Nidal Hasan, who killed 13 people at Fort Hood, Texas, in a 2009 shooting spree, a Pentagon official said, in what would be an unprecedented move.
What's still developing
- Trump, who approved Hasan's execution, called him "a maniac."
- Trump, who has approved the execution, told a rally in Texas on Wednesday that "we are going to deliver final justice to an evil killer."
- Hasan could choose to resist execution and file a habeas petition in civilian court, which is a legal request for a court to review the legality of someone’s detention, and could significantly delay the execution, experts on military law said.
- "I've been hurt worse in life than by Nidal. Sometimes you're just the collateral damage in someone else's warfare in their own mind," Roscoe said. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events For two of the survivors of the Fort Hood shooting, the news that the execution of the gunman who attempted to take their lives nearly 17 years ago will be livestreamed for the public to see has unearthed complicated emotions.
- Lunsford said that he believes setting a precedent of livestreaming executions for anyone to watch does not align with the responsibility of the U.S. to serve as a moral example for the rest of the world.
- Gov. Deidre Henderson calling it "disturbing."