JD Vance casts doubt on firing squad execution and says he will not watch it

Legenda da figura, “Não vou assistir” – JD Vance sobre possível execução ao vivo.

• Firing squad execution to be livestreamed, Pentagon saysPublished3 hours ago.
• Fort Hood attacker to be executed by firing squad - a first for US military since World War TwoPublished2 days ago.

O vice‑presidente dos EUA, JD Vance, questionou os planos do Pentágono de transmitir ao vivo a execução por esquadrão de tiro do atirador de Fort Hood.

Talking with reporters, Vance expressed doubt that the December execution would go forward as planned, saying: "I don't know that that's actually going to happen.

He added, that "if it's through live stream, I'm not going to be watching it.

Hours later, US President Donald Trump said he "absolutely" approved the live stream plans but said the Pentagon was still "making a determination" on it.

Hasan matou 13 soldados não armados dos EUA em uma base no Texas em 2009, ferindo mais 32. A execução por esquadrão de fuzil seria a primeira execução militar em mais de 60 anos.

The Pentagon announced earlier this week it would execute former US Army major Nidal Hasan on 3 December 2026 by firing squad in the attack on the Fort Hood base.

Em seguida, na quinta-feira, o Secretário de Defesa dos EUA, Pete Hegseth, disse que a execução seria transmitida ao vivo para o público. “As pessoas precisam entender que há consequências sérias para esses tipos de coisas”, explicou Hegseth.

Trump, as he left the White House on Friday, was asked about the possibility that visuals of Hasan's execution could be used as propaganda for terrorists.

He killed 13, 14 people, badly wounded 20-some-odd people, and he's totally nuts," Trump said. "So I really don't care how he goes, as long as he goes, and I think that the death penalty is a very worthy way of going for him.

The BBC has contacted the Pentagon for more information about the livestream determination.

Falando com repórteres na sexta-feira, Vance condenou o ataque de Hasan à base como “o pior ataque terrorista em solo americano fora de 9/11”. Quando questionado sobre como sua fé católica influenciou sua posição em relação aos planos de transmitir uma execução pública, Vance duvidou se isso aconteceria.

But he noted that Hasan, who was a US Army psychiatrist, was meant to treat soldiers for mental illness and other problems and "took them at their most vulnerable and gunned down these people where they lived.

Figure caption, Watch: Trump says he approved the live stream execution of Fort Hood shooter.

The announcement of the livestream plans has been met with criticism from both political parties.

O senador republicano John Curtis apontou a história de Roma de um “espetáculo sangrento” que corrompia as pessoas que os assistiam, alertando que execuções públicas corroem civilizações “quando cultiva um apetite por execuções como forma de entretenimento”.

Curtis said that Hegseth's plan "risks feeding that appetite" and urged him to reconsider.

The victims deserve justice administered with solemnity. Broadcasting a death diminishes us and is not an effective deterrent," he said.

O senador democrata Chris Murphy disse à CNN que a ideia era “disgusting” e lembrava execuções realizadas pelo grupo Estado Islâmico.

Georgia lawmaker Austin Scott, a Republican, said that he "absolutely" supports the death sentence, but that live-streaming executions "is what jihadists do. America is better than that.

The US Conference of Catholic Bishops condemned the decision to publicly livestream Hasan's execution, expressing "shock and great sorrow" in a statement.

The UN human rights office told AFP that livestreaming it would be "tantamount to a public execution and would breach the absolute prohibition of torture.

Figure caption, Can the Fort Hood shooter’s execution be livestreamed.

Hasan opened fire in a crowded medical building where deploying soldiers were awaiting check-ups and vaccines.

Ele posteriormente admitiu em tribunal que era o atirador e pediu desculpas por “any mistakes”. Ele disse durante seu julgamento militar em 2013 que acreditava estar protegendo muçulmanos e o Talibã no Afeganistão do exército dos EUA.

The killings on 5 November 2009 were the deadliest ever non-combat attack on an American military base.

A lei militar exige que a execução militar seja aprovada pelo presidente dos EUA. Também exige revisão de apelação, quando um tribunal superior examina a decisão e dá um julgamento final sobre sua legalidade para prosseguir.

While there were more than 2,700 executions across 17 countries last year, only two nations carried them out publicly. Eleven public executions were known to have been carried out in Iran in 2025 and another six in Afghanistan, according to Amnesty International.

Fonte da imagem: Getty Images. Sobrevivente de Fort Hood apoia execução do atirador por esquadrão de fuzil, mas questiona transmissão ao vivo.

When Hegseth told reporters on Thursday about plans to ensure the public can watch the execution, he did not specify where or how live video of the execution would be shown.

A Pentagon spokesperson on Friday reiterated to the BBC that Hasan's execution "will be livestreamed," but said the government had no further details "to provide at this time.

A Casa Branca não respondeu a uma consulta sobre se esperava exibir a execução planejada de Hasan em seus canais de mídia social.

The White House maintains official accounts and channels on the most notable and widely used online platforms that are capable of streaming live video, namely Meta, YouTube, TikTok and X.

Legenda da figura: opiniões dos americanos sobre a pena de morte após execução falha no Tennessee.

All of the platforms have prohibitions in place on violent images and videos, as well as those that show death or glorify or make a spectacle of violence.

O YouTube proíbe todo conteúdo “violento ou sangrento destinado a chocar ou repulsar os espectadores”.

TikTok has a similar rule that bars "extremely graphic, violent, or disturbing content—especially when it could cause viewers emotional distress." That includes the "moment of someone's death" and "the shooting of an individual.

Tanto o YouTube quanto o TikTok fazem exceções em casos de “interesse público”.

Asked if a live-stream of an execution qualifies for the exception if it is government-sanctioned , a TikTok spokeswoman said: "Regardless, I'd point you back to the not allowed section which reflects our approach.

The policy at X, which has loosened content moderation since billionaire Elon Musk took over the platform, prohibits content "glorifying" of violence. It will remove content depicting when a person dies will be removed if requested by certain parties.

Meta, YouTube and X did not respond to multiple BBC requests for comment on whether they would uphold their current policies in the event Hasan's execution is broadcast.

Christa Pike now walking after failed US execution, lawyer tells BBC.