Irish American org welcomes Trump's cancellation of livestream of Nidal Hasan's execution

The National Right to Life Committee and the National Political Education Committee of the Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH, the largest Irish Catholic organization in the US), have welcomed US President Donald Trump's decision not to proceed with a proposed livestream of the execution of Nidal Hasan.

The AOH has further said that, based on its Catholic principles, Hasan should not be executed at all.

A former US Army Major, Hasan opened fire at Fort Hood in Texas in November 2009 and was subsequently convicted of 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder. The court-martial jury set his punishment as death.

Last week, US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth floated plans to livestream the execution of Hasan, saying: "He's going to get a firing squad of soldiers, as it should be. And we'll make sure that people are able to watch it, that it's public, because people need to understand that there's serious consequences for these types of things."

Hegseth's plans prompted a strong reaction, including from Ireland's Minister of Foreign Affairs Helen McEntee, who described them as "shocking."

Nidal Hasan, pictured here in May 2009. (US Army / Public Domain)

However, US President Donald Trump has now nixed plans to livestream Hasan's execution, which is set to take place at Fort Hood on December 3.

Writing on his Truth Social platform on Thursday, Trump said: "I think streaming the execution for all to see might have been a strong deterrent for the World to witness how America deals with Terrorists and SCUM like Hasan but, many very good and well meaning people would rather not watch him die, through streaming, or through any other visual device. 

"He will die, as scheduled, by firing squad, but this event will not be streamed.

"That said, the execution may be viewed in person by the immediate families of the victims, if they so choose. They deserve to witness JUSTICE!"

"How we respond to such evil defines who we are as a people"

Responding to Trump's announcement on Thursday, the two AOH committees said in a joint statement: "The Ancient Order of Hibernians welcomes the decision not to proceed with the proposed public livestreaming of Nidal Hasan’s execution.

"Broadcasting the death of a convicted mass murderer would have served neither justice nor the dignity of our nation. It would have transformed a solemn exercise of state authority into a public spectacle and potentially handed an avowed jihadist a global platform for extremist propaganda.

"But canceling the cameras addresses only part of the problem. Executing Nidal Hasan still risks granting him the martyrdom he has openly sought.

"The Ancient Order of Hibernians holds no sympathy for Nidal Hasan. On November 5, 2009, Hasan committed a horrific and barbaric act of mass murder at Fort Hood. He betrayed his oath, he betrayed his country, and above all, he betrayed his fellow soldiers. 14 innocent people died by his hand—12 soldiers, one civilian, and the unborn child of Private Francheska Velez. 32 others suffered terrible wounds. Hasan’s actions were an evil betrayal of every principle of military honor and human decency.

"Yet how we respond to such evil defines who we are as a people; our principles are what separate us from Hasan and the cause he represents. As a Catholic organization, the Ancient Order of Hibernians remains committed to the Church’s teachings on the sacredness of human life. Every life is a gift from God, and that truth holds even when a person abuses that gift in violent defiance of the Creator. The sanctity of human life is not a principle we abandon when confronted with the worst among us, that would bring us down to their level.

"There is also a compelling practical argument against Hasan’s execution: Why should the United States government grant a convicted terrorist the very death he has sought?

"During his 2013 court-martial, Hasan declined to mount a serious defense and actively courted the death penalty. He reportedly told military evaluators that dying by lethal injection would still make him a martyr. In 2014, he wrote from his cell at Fort Leavenworth to pledge his loyalty to the leader of the Islamic State and request citizenship in its self-proclaimed caliphate.

"Hasan has demonstrated that he does not regard execution as the ultimate punishment. He sees it as the culmination of his cause. Whether witnessed by millions or carried out behind closed doors, his execution would provide extremists with an opportunity to portray him as a martyr. Canceling the livestream removes the cameras, but it does not eliminate that danger.

"Do not grant Nidal Hasan his final wish. Do not hand him a martyr’s death.

"Justice does not require that we accommodate the ambitions of a murderer. Hasan should remain locked inside a prison cell, stripped of notoriety and condemned to complete anonymity until his natural end. Let him grow old in obscurity, let him be forgotten even by those he is trying to impress, deny the martyrdom he seeks and the significance he imagines his death would confer.

"Our national memory belongs to the men, women, and families whose lives were shattered at Fort Hood, not to the man who murdered them. They deserve remembrance, honor, and justice. He deserves neither a stage nor a legacy.

"Let the victims be remembered. Let their killer be forgotten."

About the Ancient Order of Hibernians

Founded in 1836, the Ancient Order of Hibernians is the oldest and largest Irish Catholic organization in America. It promotes Irish culture and history, defends the Irish and Catholic community, and works toward a free and united Ireland.