UK Minister Calls US Plan to Live-Stream Firing Squad 'Disturbing'
Bridget Phillipson expresses personal opposition to the death penalty as the U.S. prepares to broadcast the execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan.
A British government minister has voiced strong reservations about the U.S. plan to live-stream the firing squad execution of Nidal Hasan, the former Army psychiatrist convicted of the 2009 Fort Hood massacre. Bridget Phillipson, a Labour Party chair and Cabinet minister, described the plan as "disturbing" and reiterated Britain's long-standing opposition to capital punishment.
Hasan is scheduled to be executed by firing squad on December 3. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth confirmed the decision to broadcast the execution, stating, "people need to see there are 'serious consequences for these types of things.'" This would mark the first public execution in the United States since 1937.
Hasan murdered 13 people and wounded 32 others in November 2009 when he opened fire on soldiers at the Fort Hood military base in Texas. He shouted "Allahu Akbar" during the attack, later stating in his trial that he had "switched sides" in America's war with Islam and sought to protect Islamic and Taliban leaders. He was sentenced to death in 2013.
While acknowledging that the decision rests with the U.S. government, Phillipson stated on BBC Radio 4's Today programme that Britain has a "long-standing" opposition to the death penalty. "My personal view is that I am opposed to the death penalty and I find that rather disturbing, is my honest reaction," she said. "I think you can have a system that provides clear consequences without... I am proud our country did away with the death penalty a very very long time ago."
Phillipson emphasized that while the U.S. is a close ally, this does not equate to supporting all of its government's actions. She maintained that questions surrounding the execution are ultimately matters of U.S. domestic policy.
The mass shooting at Fort Hood was the deadliest attack on a domestic military installation in U.S. history. Hasan was shot and paralyzed from the waist down during the incident, leading to his capture and subsequent sentencing.
