Brother of Fort Hood soldier killed in attack has message for Trump over planned execution livestream
The brother of Michael Pearson, one of the 13 killed by Nidal Malik Hasan, has written a letter to the White House warning about the 'serious consequences' of live-streaming the execution.
On December 3, Nidal Malik Hasan is set to be executed by firing squad in Fort Hood, Texas. It will be the first execution by firing squad since 1945.
Hasan, a former US Army major and psychiatrist, fatally shot 13 people and injured over 30 others on November 5, 2009. Thirty of those he wounded and twelve he killed were soldiers.
During the mass shooting at Fort Hood, Hasan was shot and left paralyzed from the waist down.
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In 2013, he was convicted of 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of premeditated murder and sentenced to death by a military jury.
Now 56, Hasan is set to face his death by firing squad, but his execution has also since been confirmed by the Pentagon.
It follows Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth promising the public would be able to 'watch it' and Donald Trump telling reporters he 'absolutely' approved the livestream plan, but then later saying he was yet to make his final 'decision,' as reported by NBC News.
And the brother of one of Army Private First Class (Pfc) Michael Pearson who was among the 13 killed by Hasan in 2009 has since spoken out about the upcoming execution, begging officials to 'reconsider' live-streaming it.
Brother's letter to the White House to 'reconsider the decision to livestream the execution of Nidal Hasan'
Kristopher Craig, an Army veteran and brother to 22-year-old Michael Pearson who lost his life after Hasan opened fire in 2009, wrote a letter to Trump and Hegseth which he shared exclusively with Newsweek.
The letter asks the officials to 'reconsider the decision to livestream the execution of Nidal Hasan'.
Reflecting on how he's had to live with his brother's death and 'the consequences of what happened that day' for 17 years, Craig has thought about 'grief, anger, forgiveness and justice' but never thought he'd have to think about his brother's death becoming 'part of another public spectacle'.
Stating his brother's intentions joining the Army for 'opportunities' and 'a better future' Craig dismissed the idea of his brother becoming 'a symbol or a political statement'.
He continued: "When you speak about justice for the victims of Fort Hood, I ask you to remember that you are speaking about people whose lives were much larger than the circumstances of their deaths."
Craig explained he does not want the memory of his brother to be 'tied to the public broadcast of another human being's death,' but for him to be remembered 'for the person he was, full of goodness, his hopes, the life he was trying to build, and everything he might have become if he had been allowed to grow older'.
And for the other 12 killed to have that too, 'not merely as names invoked to explain or defend a government decision'.
His letter then poses multiple questions to the White House about broadcasting Hasan's execution.
Craig's letter asks Trump and Hegseth to 'not livestream this execution'
Craig states: "Does witnessing another person's death make someone less likely to commit violence? Does it make our communities safer? Or does it simply give the public another act of violence to watch, this time carried out by the government?"
He reflected on the history of the country in moving away from public executions, because of how 'troubling' it is to turn someone's death an 'event' which people can see on thier phones, computers or TVs.
He questioned the 'purpose' of the broadcast, given it won't bring is brother back, nor 'restore the futures that were stolen from the 13 people' and nor will it 'ease the grief' felt by loved ones.
Appealing to Trump and Hegseth to 'not livestream this execution,' Craig said: "There is a difference between accountability and spectacle, and there is a difference between honoring the dead and inviting the public to watch someone else die in their name."
Craig says a live execution of Hasan would only bring him 'sadness, anger and pain'
While 'respect[ing]' those who feel like it 'will bring closure,' Craig stated for himself, a live execution 'brings no comfort,' but actually 'sadness, anger, and the painful feeling that my brother's death is being used to justify something I find deeply wrong.
"[...] Do not make the deaths of our loved ones the justification for turning another death into a public event. Whatever happens to Nidal Hasan, let it happen without an audience assembled by the government to witness his final moments.
“I have lived long enough with the knowledge of what violence took from my family. I do not want my brother's memory used to give violence an audience.
“Michael deserved the chance to live a full life, and he was denied that chance. The least we can do now is remember that his life was worth more than the way it ended. We should not have to watch another human being die to remember the value of the lives we lost."
And the Pentagon responded.
The Pentagon and White House's response to the letter
When contacted by Newsweek, a Pentagon spokesperson declined to comment, stating they had 'nothing to provide' and the outlet did not hear back from The White House.
UNILAD has contacted The White House and the Pentagon for comment.
Topics: US News, Crime, Donald Trump, Politics
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