US plans for livestreamed execution would put it in company with few nations
The United States plans to livestream the execution of Nidal Malik Hasan, a Fort Hood shooter, in a move that would place the country among a select few nations that perform capital punishment in public. Only Iran and Afghanistan executed individuals publicly last year, according to Amnesty International. The Pentagon announced on Thursday that the execution via firing squad, set for December 3 at Fort Hood, Texas, would be the first military execution in over 65 years.
The U.S. has not carried out public executions since the 1930s, as capital punishment has moved away from town squares to concealed prison settings. Executions have evolved from hangings and firing squads to lethal injection. President Donald Trump, who criticized public executions in Iran, authorized Hasan's firing squad death.
If the execution proceeds publicly, the U.S. would join Iran and the Taliban in this practice, alongside Yemen, where at least nine people were publicly executed in 2021.
Written by urgent.news from Winnipeg Free Press's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
