UK PM Burnham condemns plan to livestream US firing squad execution

Summarised from 6 outlets · 7 reports · Updated 11 Oct, 20:31 · Archive

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has called a US plan to livestream the firing squad execution of Fort Hood gunman Nidal Malik Hasan 'abhorrent'.

Nidal Malik Hasan, a former US Army major, is set to be executed by firing squad on 3 December following his conviction for a 2009 shooting at Fort Hood military base in Texas. He killed 13 people and wounded 32 others in the attack.

US defence secretary Pete Hegseth announced that the execution would be made publicly available, telling media outlet Real America's Voice: 'We'll make sure that people are able to watch it.' If the livestream goes ahead, it would be the first public execution in the United States since 1937, when convicted murderer Roscoe Jackson was hanged in Missouri.

However, vice president JD Vance has cast doubt on whether the Pentagon will livestream the execution. When asked about it, he said: 'I'm not going to be watching it.'

Prime Minister Andy Burnham told The Rest is Politics podcast that he would 'never support' such a public execution. He said: 'It's something that I can't say I ever want to see anywhere in the world. It's something that I find quite abhorrent in many ways.' Burnham added that whilst the UK should be clear about what it stands for, it need not constantly comment on others' actions.

Cabinet minister Bridget Phillipson also spoke out against the plans, saying she found them 'disturbing' and that she was 'proud that our country did away with the death penalty a very, very long time ago'.

According to Fordham Law Professor Deborah Denno, a leading death penalty expert, if Hasan's execution by firing squad proceeds smoothly, other US states may adopt the method. She told Fox News that firing squad is 'considered to be quicker' and 'the least inhumane method of execution' compared to lethal injection. In recent years, Idaho, Utah and South Carolina have considered or adopted firing squad as a potential means of capital punishment.

President Trump said he was 'not involved' in the announcement about livestreaming but indicated he would make the final decision on the matter. Some observers have raised concerns that legal challenges could delay the execution beyond Trump's time in office.

How it is being reported

• Don’t make Fort Hood terrorist Nidal Hasan’s execution a public spectacle — and him a martyrSavage Islamic terrorist Nidal Hasan deserves the death penalty, nothing less. But the idea of broadcasting his execution publicly — livestreaming it! — is beyond grotesque.New York Post · 11 Oct, 20:24
• Andy Burnham says public execution is ‘abhorrent’ as US moves ahead with firing squad livestreamFort Hood gunman Nidal Malik Hasan is set to be executed by firing squad in DecemberThe Independent · 11 Oct, 19:58
• Burnham says public execution is ‘abhorrent’ as US moves ahead with firing squad livestreamFort Hood gunman Nidal Malik Hasan is set to be executed by firing squad in DecemberThe Independent · 11 Oct, 19:02
• Andy Burnham hits out at 'abhorrent' US public execution plan backed by TrumpAndy Burnham has said it is 'abhorrent' that the US plans to carry out a livestreamed execution of a former US Army major by firing squad - saying it is not something he would want to see anywhere in the worldThe Mirror · 11 Oct, 19:01
• Andy Burnham risks wrath of Trump by condemning 'abhorrent' US plan to livestream firing squad for terroristThe PM made clear his opposition to public executions after the announcement about the fate of former army major Nidal Hasan.Daily Mail · 11 Oct, 19:00
• Burnham Calls Idea Of Public Executions In The US 'Abhorrent'Donald Trump and Andy Burnham Andy Burnham has called the idea of public executions in the US “abhorrent” as Donald Trump weighs up whether to livestream the death of a mass murderer. Nidal Malik Hasan, a former US Army major who killed 13 people and wounded 32 others in a 2009 shooting rampage at Fort Hood, is expected to be put to death by firing squad in December. America’s defence secretary Pete Hegseth controversially declared on Thursday that he planned to make the execution available for public viewing. Trump said he “wasn’t involved” in the livestreaming announcement but said he…HuffPost UK · 11 Oct, 19:00
• Fort Hood shooter's firing squad could usher in new era of executions across US, expert saysFort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan's firing squad execution could pave the way for more states to adopt the method, a death penalty expert says.Fox News · 11 Oct, 11:00

In this story: Nidal Malik Hasan · Andy Burnham · Pete Hegseth · Fort Hood · Texas · Donald Trump · JD Vance · Bridget Phillipson

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