Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) issued a statement on Friday expressing strong opposition to a reported Pentagon proposal to livestream the execution of Nidal Hasan. Hasan was convicted for the 2009 mass shooting at Fort Hood, Texas, which resulted in the deaths of 13 people and injuries to dozens more.

In a post on the social media platform X, Murkowski argued that the government should not broadcast such events. She stated, “There is no need to livestream any execution, including this one,” adding that such actions are reminiscent of behaviors typically associated with “terrorists and dictators.” Her comments serve as a direct challenge to the Department of Defense regarding the transparency and ethical standards of capital punishment procedures in the United States.

While the Pentagon has faced ongoing scrutiny regarding the handling of high-profile military justice cases, this specific reaction from Murkowski highlights a tension between the public’s interest in justice and the perceived dignity of the judicial process. Murkowski’s statement emphasizes her belief that the United States should maintain a higher moral standard than the regimes she referenced. As of now, the Pentagon has not issued a formal response to the Senator’s public criticism, and the status of the execution plans remains a subject of debate among lawmakers concerned with the precedent such a broadcast might set.