"The livestreaming of an execution is tantamount to a public execution and would violate the absolute prohibition against torture", the OHCHR commented on 9/10, regarding the US military's plan to execute Nidal Hasan, the perpetrator of the 5/11/2009 Fort Hood shooting that killed 13 people.
The United Nations agency stated it had previously expressed similar views on public executions in Afghanistan and Iran, considering this a form of "cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment."
The Pentagon previously announced that the execution of former army major Nidal Hasan would be livestreamed on 3/12 at Fort Hood, Texas. This would mark the first time the US military executes a person by firing squad since World War II, and the country's first military execution of a service member in over 65 years.
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth described Hasan's execution plan as "a public event", stating the administration would ensure all citizens could follow the proceedings, as the American public needs to understand that crimes must face severe consequences.
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Former Major Hasan in a photo released in 8/2012. *Reuters*
Hasan was sentenced to death in 2013 for 13 counts of murder and 32 counts of attempted murder. At the court-martial, Hasan admitted to shooting fellow soldiers to protect Islamic fighters from US forces.
After a lengthy appeal process, Hasan asked the US Supreme Court to review the case in 2024, arguing the 2013 judge violated his right to a public trial by allowing the public to leave the courtroom while the defendant discussed matters with his lawyers. The Supreme Court denied this request in 2025, thus upholding the death sentence.
Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell stated on 5/10 that Secretary of Defense Hegseth proposed the plan to execute Hasan by firing squad, and President Donald Trump approved this method.
Deborah Denno, a death penalty expert and law professor at Fordham University, believes livestreaming could help the public better understand the entire execution process. She noted this could be useful given the failed execution of Christa Pike in Tennessee, which raised new questions about execution methods.
Meanwhile, Elisabeth Semel, co-director of the Death Penalty Clinic at the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law, believes this decision raises many legal and public policy debates, including ensuring the dignity of the condemned and those permitted to witness the execution, as well as the government's objectives.
She noted the broadcasting of executions has been debated for years, but no instance has stemmed from a government proposal. "We have a president who values sensational imagery, and that is likely the message he wants to convey this time", Semel said.
By Thanh Danh (Reuters, Euronews)
