Murkowski on public execution: 'I'd expect this from terrorists and dictators'
The Hill · C · trust 63/100
Comments: by Finya Swai - 10/09/26 5:46 PM ET Comments: Link copied by Finya Swai - 10/09/26 5:46 PM ET Comments: Link copied NOW PLAYING Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) on Friday urged the Pentagon to reverse its decision to livestream the execution of Nidal Hasan, the convicted Fort Hood shooter.
“There is no need to livestream any execution, including this one,” Murkowski said on the social platform X . “I would expect this from terrorists and dictators, but not here in America.”
The Alaska Republican argued that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s plan to broadcast Hasan’s death by firing squad would have immense consequences, including bolstering his fame and fulfilling his wish for martyrdom.
“It would give this individual, who deserves no further notoriety, the martyrdom he seeks,” she continued. “How we carry out justice matters just as much as the justice itself, so I urge the Pentagon to reverse this gruesome decision.”
Her remarks add to mounting bipartisan criticism of Hegseth’s plan to publicize Hasan’s execution, scheduled for Dec. 3 at Fort Hood in Texas.
Hasan, a former Army psychiatrist, was convicted in 2013 of killing 13 people and wounding 32 others in a shooting at the military base four years earlier. He was dismissed from the Army and sentenced to death — the first military execution in more than six decades.
During his trial, Hasan reportedly told military mental health workers that he hoped to become a martyr if executed.
Hegseth confirmed Thursday the execution would be open to the public and livestreamed.
“We’ll make sure that the people are able to watch it, that it’s public, because people need to understand that there’s serious consequences for these types of things,” he said.
Murkowski joins GOP Sens. John Curtis (Utah) and Thom Tillis (N.C.) in opposing the broadcast.
Tillis called the plan “beyond disgusting,” while Curtis warned that livestreaming the execution risks turning capital punishment into entertainment.
Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) also condemned the move, and called for Hegseth’s immediate removal on Friday, comparing the planned broadcast to public executions carried out by U.S. adversaries Iran and the Taliban.
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