Outrage Over Pentagon Plan to Livestream Nidal Hasan Execution by Firing Squad
The United States faces mounting bipartisan and international condemnation over a Pentagon plan to livestream the military execution by firing squad of Fort Hood mass shooter Nidal Malik Hasan on December 3, according to latimes.com. The scheduled execution marks the first time the U.S. military will use a firing squad since 1945, and the first time an execution will be broadcast live to the public.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth Defends the Public Broadcast as a Deterrent
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed the administration’s intention to air the execution publicly, calling it a no-brainer punishment for a radical Islamist terror attack on U.S. service members. In an interview with the Real America’s Voice network, Hegseth stated that people need to understand there are serious consequences for such actions. A Pentagon official subsequently told afp.com on Thursday that the execution would be streamed live, and Hegseth reinforced the stance on X by writing Correct
in response to a media report about the broadcast. Hegseth also invoked the mindset of World War II during a video posted to official Pentagon accounts, asserting that people need to understand when the enemy attacks, they must stand their ground. President Donald Trump backed the execution on Friday, calling Hasan a maniac who deserves the death penalty, though Trump did not comment on the plan to publicize it.
Lawmakers on Both Sides of the Aisle Denounce the Livestream Plan
Elected officials from both major political parties rejected the decision to broadcast the execution, drawing stark parallels to practices used by terrorist organizations and hostile foreign governments. Representative Austin Scott echoed that sentiment, stating that livestreaming executions is what jihadists do and that America is better than that. Senator Mark Kelly also questioned the association, comparing public executions to the actions of Iran and the Taliban. Meanwhile, Vice President JD Vance cast doubt on whether the livestream would actually occur, telling journalists he does not know if it is going to happen and confirming that he personally would not watch it.
Human Rights Experts and Global Authorities Condemn the Protocol
International bodies and legal experts warned that broadcasting the event violates fundamental human rights standards and sets a dangerous precedent. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights stated that the livestreaming of an execution is tantamount to a public execution and breaches the absolute prohibition of torture. Archbishop Paul Coakley, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, called the plan a barbaric promotion of a culture of death that must be reconsidered. Legal scholars noted that the United States abandoned public executions nearly a century ago to avoid creating spectacles resembling gladiatorial contests.
Hasan Received Death Sentence for Texas Base Shooting
Hasan was convicted by a military jury in 2013 and sentenced to death for the 2009 shooting at the Texas military base, where he killed 13 people and wounded 32 others. The last military execution took place in 1961 when John Bennett was hanged for rape and attempted murder, according to records from the Death Penalty Information Center. While five states—Idaho, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Utah—currently authorize firing squads, legal experts emphasize that no modern record exists of a state or military execution being broadcast over the internet.
The federal government continues preparations for the December 3 execution date at Fort Hood while legal scholars and human rights organizations monitor whether the Pentagon will proceed with the unprecedented public broadcast.