The United States is considering a controversial move to livestream the execution of a soldier convicted of killing 13 people at a military base, potentially aligning with a small group of nations that have conducted public executions in recent years. While only Iran and Afghanistan currently carry out public executions as a routine practice, the proposed action would place the US among countries that have used such methods in recent times. Human rights groups have documented cases in both nations, with authorities in Afghanistan and Iran executing multiple prisoners in public settings. The decision has sparked debate over ethical and legal concerns surrounding capital punishment and its public display.
Only Iran and Afghanistan routinely carry out sentences in public, with Saudi Arabia appearing to have ended practiceUS politics – live updatesIf the US defence secretary, Pete Hegseth, goes ahead with plans to livestream the execution of a soldier radicalised to extremist Islam who killed 13 people at a military base in Texas, his country will join a motley assembly of lesser powers and rogue actors who have conducted public executions in recent years.Only two countries currently systematically carry out capital sentences in public: Iran and Afghanistan. In 2025, the Taliban authorities carried out six such killings and the regime in Tehran 11, according to Amnesty International. Continue reading...
