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US considering 1st military execution in over 60 years
The U.S. could soon carry out its first military execution in more than six decades, as former Army Major Nidal Hasan faces a possible death sentence.
Hasan was convicted of killing 13 people and injuring dozens more in a 2009 mass shooting at Fort Hood, Texas. Hasan admitted to the shootings at his court-martial in 2013 and has since been on death row.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">US could carry out its first military execution in over 60 years <a href="https://t.co/jDyARZU0Xx">https://t.co/jDyARZU0Xx</a></p>— ArmyTimes (@ArmyTimes) <a href="https://twitter.com/ArmyTimes/status/1640692661223866369?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 28, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The case has been a long and contentious one, with Hasan representing himself at trial and expressing his support for Islamic extremism. Hasan said he carried out the shooting to protect Muslim insurgents overseas and has been outspoken in his opposition to the U.S. military’s actions in the Middle East.
The Army Court of Criminal Appeals recently lifted a stay of Hasan’s execution, which cleared the way for the military to carry out the sentence. If Hasan is executed, he will be the first service member to be put to death by the U.S. military since 1961. The last person to be executed was Army Pvt. John A. Bennett, who was hanged for the rape and attempted murder of an 11-year-old Austrian girl.
Richard Dieter, the executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center, stated to the Military Times that many outcomes are possible once a verdict is reached in the Hasan case. According to Dieter, the case would most likely be appealed to the Supreme Court, and the final decision of Hasan’s fate would rest with the U.S. president. As commander in chief, the president must confirm the execution sentence or commute it to life imprisonment. It remains unclear what President Joe Biden, who had promised to abolish federal capital punishment, would do in this case.
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The prospect of Hasan’s execution has sparked debate about the death penalty and the military justice system. Supporters of the death penalty argue that Hasan’s crimes were heinous and that he deserves the ultimate punishment. They also point to the closure that the death penalty can bring for victims’ families.
Opponents of the death penalty argue that the practice is inherently flawed and there is a risk of executing innocent people. They also note the military justice system has a lengthy appeals process, which can be costly and emotionally taxing for victims’ families.
A 2018 report by George Washington University’s Program on Extremism stated that the Fort Hood attack was a harbinger for the slow but steady increase in lone-actor terrorist attacks in the U.S. The report also highlights the attack forced the intelligence and law enforcement communities to re-evaluate their counterterrorism processes and long-held assumptions about radicalization within the country.
