UN says Pentagon plan to livestream execution of Fort Hood shooter would amount to torture – US politics live

The move has been branded as ‘disturbing’ and compared to the actions of terror groups by US lawmakers Hello and welcome to the US politics live blog.

The Pentagon’s plan to livestream the execution of Nidal Hasan, a former army psychiatrist who killed 13 people at Fort Hood, has received fierce criticism from across the political spectrum.

I mean, that’s disgusting.

What, is he mimicking ISIS executions? I mean, I understand that in this country we have the death penalty, but public execution is medieval.

It’s frankly one of the things that we abhor about terrorist groups, and the fact that the United States is doing it - I just learned this.

That is just absolutely extraordinary, galling.

No matter whether you support or oppose the death penalty, public hangings and executions? That’s what America has become? Um, that’s, that’s pretty extraordinary.

Hasan should face the death penalty, but making his execution public and streaming it? Beyond disgusting.

Public executions are what oppressive dictatorships like Iran and Afghanistan do.

It should not be happening in America.

We can seek justice in this country without glorifying violence and turning an execution into a grotesque public spectacle.

What this criminal did was abhorrent and must be punished – but we as a country cannot condone livestreaming a man’s death for entertainment.

We are long past the days of public hangings in the town square.

Kids watch what our leaders do and say, is this kind of bloodshed really what we want them seeing? The Pentagon must revoke this decision immediately.