An execution is already an irreversible act of state power. Turning it into a livestream would make it something else as well: a public spectacle. I do not believe the Pentagon should broadcast a person’s death for an audience.

The reported plan to livestream an execution by firing squad raises a fundamental question about what public institutions should model. Transparency does not require broadcasting the moment someone is killed. A livestream risks reducing a grave, permanent act to content that can be watched, shared, and replayed.

The Pentagon should cancel any plan to livestream this execution and adopt a clear policy against broadcasting executions in the future. Public accountability can be provided through official information and appropriate oversight without making death into entertainment.

We should expect dignity and restraint from institutions exercising the most severe power possible. Please join me in asking the Pentagon to stop the livestream and keep executions from becoming public spectacle.