US army soldiers at a memorial service in honour of the 13 victims of the 2009 Fort Hood mass shooting by army psychiatrist Nidal Malik Hasan. His execution by firing squad is due to be livestreamed on 3 December. Photograph: Joe Raedle/Getty Images View image in fullscreen US army soldiers at a memorial service in honour of the 13 victims of the 2009 Fort Hood mass shooting by army psychiatrist Nidal Malik Hasan. His execution by firing squad is due to be livestreamed on 3 December. Photograph: Joe Raedle/Getty Images Australia news Australian Greens call for ‘barbaric’ US execution live stream to be blocked Federal government urged to prevent Australians from viewing planned broadcast of Fort Hood mass murderer Nidal Hasan’s execution
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Prefer the Guardian on Google The Australian government should block the “barbaric” broadcast or live stream of a US military execution, Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young says, but it is unclear whether the commonwealth can or would be willing to do so.
While the communications department warned media broadcasters must “act responsibly” in reporting on the scheduled execution by firing squad of Nidal Malik Hasan – which the Pentagon said would be livestreamed on 3 December – Australian federal government sources said there may be limitations in what it can do to order restrictions on an ally carrying out its own legal proceedings.
Read more Hasan, a 56-year-old former army psychiatrist, was sentenced to death by a military jury in 2013 after being convicted of 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder. Twelve of the 13 killed and 30 of the wounded were soldiers.
The US government said last week it would livestream his execution, but has not confirmed how or on what platform that stream would be carried.
0:45 Pete Hegseth says execution of Fort Hood mass killer will be livestreamed – video The plan has drawn severe concern in the US and internationally, including among politicians, religious leaders and human rights advocates, with critics comparing the Trump administration to dictatorships in Iran and Afghanistan.
The United Nations’ office of the high commissioner for human rights warned on Friday that broadcasting the killing would amount to a public execution and “breach the absolute prohibition of torture”.
Hanson-Young, the Greens’ communications spokesperson, wrote to minister Anika Wells and the eSafety commission to urge they take “whatever action is necessary” to block the execution being broadcast in Australia or accessible online, calling it an “an unconscionable, abhorrent act”.
In comments to the ABC, Hanson-Young said: “I think this is incredibly shocking and barbaric, and Australians don’t want this on our screens.”
Her letter called on the government to take “pre-emptive” steps and warn the likes of YouTube, Meta, TikTok and streaming services that they should not allow the video to be available in Australia. Hanson-Young also said the eSafety commission should pursue regulatory action against “any large platforms” allowing the broadcast of the execution.
“Inaction on this will jeopardise millions of Australians’ online safety,” she wrote.
Her call found support across the political divide. One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce called the public nature of the execution “Roman amphitheatre stuff”, telling News 24: “I certainly don’…