British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has condemned the United States’ (US) plan to live-stream the execution of Nidal Hasan, a former US Army psychiatrist convicted of shooting 13 people at Fort Hood military base in 2009. Burnham called the move “abhorrent” in an interview with The Rest is Politics podcast, scheduled for release on October 12. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth previously confirmed that the execution would be carried out in public.
Hasan’s execution would be the first by the US military since 1961 and the first by firing squad since World War II. Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin also condemned the plan, stating that making a spectacle of death is “unacceptable” and contrary to human dignity. Meanwhile, death penalty experts have called the plan the first known broadcast of a legal execution, raising numerous legal and ethical questions about its transparency and impact on the public.
Global Reactions Emerge
International reactions to the plan have been mixed. Cardinal Parolin emphasized that the death penalty violates human dignity, while legal experts such as Elisabeth Semel of UC Berkeley Law have expressed concerns about the dignity of the defendant and the conditions for viewing the execution. Meanwhile, the Pentagon has insisted that Hasan’s execution will be “open to the public,” with Defense Secretary Hegseth stating that people need to “understand the serious consequences” of such an act. The execution is scheduled for December 3, with several questions remaining regarding the live broadcast and its impact on legal norms.
Vatican’s Stance on Death Penalty
Cardinal Parolin reminded that the Church’s position is to reject the death penalty completely, stating that “the death penalty is incompatible with human dignity and does not serve as a deterrent to crime.” He also said that “the Holy See will issue a statement” on the matter.
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