Australia vows to block livestream of US military execution of Nidal Hasan, Albanese calls plan ‘completely abhorrent’

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Tuesday (Oct 13) vowed that his nation would do everything within its power to prevent the planned livestream of the execution of Nidal Hasan, a US prisoner, from being viewed in the country. Calling the planned livestream "completely abhorrent", Albanese said that he had a "social responsibility" to stop it from being shown.

Nidal Hasan is scheduled to be executed by firing squad on December 3 at Fort Hood, Texas, where he killed 13 people in a 2009 shooting. If carried out as planned, it would be the first execution by a US military firing squad since 1945.

A Pentagon official told AFP last week that the execution would be streamed live. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth had also said authorities would ensure people could watch the event, adding that “it's public”.

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Australia considers options to restrict access

Speaking to national broadcaster ABC, Albanese said the government had a social responsibility to prevent the footage from reaching Australians, particularly children and families. “I do not know why anybody would want themselves to watch such an event, let alone sit back and allow potentially kids and families to get access to this,” he said.

Australia’s internet regulator has said it lacks the authority to prevent the execution from being shown online. Albanese acknowledged that blocking the footage would not be straightforward, saying it was “not as simple as turning off a light switch”.

However, he said the government would make its position clear to social media companies and pursue any available measures to keep the livestream off Australian platforms.

“This has no place in our country,” Albanese said. “If there is anything we can do, we will do, I assure you of that.”

Environment Minister Murray Watt also condemned the plan, describing it as “absolutely disgusting”.

Also read | 'I am not going to be watching it': JD Vance on livestream of Nidal Hasan's firing squad execution

International criticism over planned broadcast

The proposal to stream Hasan’s execution has prompted criticism in the United States and abroad. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has warned that livestreaming an execution would amount to a public execution and breach the absolute prohibition of torture.

Opposition to the plan has also crossed party lines in Australia. Far-right lawmaker Barnaby Joyce likened it to “Roman amphitheatre stuff”, while Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young called on regulators to prevent the footage from being accessible in the country.