United States: Trump casts doubt on a live execution that outrages America

The United States could soon join Iran, Afghanistan of the Taliban or even North Korea among the countries which organize public executions, without forgetting the terrorist organization Daesh. The American Minister of Defense, Pete Hegseth, plans to broadcast live the killing of Nidal Hasan, convicted of having killed 13 people, including 12 soldiers, on the base of Fort Hood, Texas, in November 2009. An initiative which arouses strong indignation, even in Republican ranks.

Nidal Hasan is to be shot on December 3, at the same site of his attack inspired by Al-Qaeda, which also left more than 30 injured. This would be the first execution carried out by the American army since 1961 and the first by firing squad since 1945. Donald Trump, who personally approved the method, maintained doubt on Friday about its broadcast. “They are making a decision, but he will be killed, by firing squad,” he said.

Indignant reactions in the Republican camp

Pete Hegseth's announcement provoked numerous reactions within the presidential camp. “I fully support the death sentence, but live streaming executions is what jihadists do. America is better than this,” denounced Republican Representative Austin Scott. Same reservation from Vice-President J.D. Vance, who assured that he did not know if the broadcast would take place, before adding: “If it is broadcast live, I will not watch. »

On the Democratic side, Senator Mark Kelly drew a parallel with authoritarian regimes practicing public executions. “But a public execution? Here in the United States? This is the kind of thing Iran and the Taliban do. Are they the ones we want to be associated with? “, he asked. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights also condemned this prospect, saying that such dissemination would constitute a form of “torture”.

“Barbaric promotion of a culture of death”

Human rights organizations and the American Catholic Church have also expressed opposition. For Justin Mazzola, head of Amnesty International in the United States, a retransmission “would only aggravate the cruelty of the death penalty and perpetuate the cycle of violence that the authorities say they want to end”. Archbishop Paul Coakley, president of the American Conference of Catholic Bishops, denounced a “barbaric promotion of a culture of death”.

All our articles on the United States