Albanese calls proposed livestream of US execution “abhorrent”

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has condemned a proposed livestream of a US firing squad execution, calling it “abhorrent”.

Speaking to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) on Tuesday, Albanese said anyone who broadcast the execution would damage their reputation. He added that his government would do what it could to stop Australians from watching it.

“These things are not as simple as turning off a light switch and we will do what we can to shut it down,” Albanese said. He added that, based on his personal convictions, he found it abhorrent that anyone would want to watch such an event.

His comments followed US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s statement last week that Nidal Hasan would be executed by firing squad on Dec. 3 at Fort Hood, Texas. Hasan was sentenced to death for killing 13 people and wounding 32 others in a 2009 shooting at the Army base.

Hasan, a former Army psychiatrist, was convicted in 2013 of 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted murder. He has since been held at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

The Pentagon said on Monday that US President Donald Trump had approved the recommendation for the execution.