The U.S. military plans to livestream the Dec. 3 execution of Nidal Hasan, a former Army psychiatrist convicted of killing 13 people and injuring 32 others during a 2009 shooting at Fort Hood. The execution is scheduled to be carried out by firing squad. Death penalty experts said the plan would mark the first known instance of a lawful execution being broadcast or livestreamed to a public audience.
Hasan was convicted for the mass shooting in a medical building at the Texas military base where soldiers were receiving health checkups. He shouted "Allahu akbar" before opening fire with a laser-sighted handgun. The scheduled December event will be the first firing squad execution conducted by the U.S. military since 1945, when Private Eddie Slovik was executed for desertion during World War II.
Public executions were common in the United States during the 18th and 19th centuries but largely disappeared by the mid-20th century. Experts cited by Reuters noted that the last legally sanctioned public execution in the U.S. took place in 1936, when Rainey Bethea was hanged in Kentucky. Current global practices generally favor private executions; according to Amnesty International, public executions in recent years have been concentrated in Iran and Taliban-run Afghanistan.
The U.N. human rights office stated on Oct. 9, 2026, that the plan constitutes a form of cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment and would violate the prohibition on torture. While major social media companies have established moderation systems to remove execution footage from militant groups like the Islamic State, livestreams present a unique challenge because footage can be copied and redistributed before these systems intervene. New Zealand’s chief censor stated that authorities would have little practical ability to stop residents from viewing a live broadcast while it is occurring.
Kerry Moscogiuri, CEO of Amnesty International U.K., characterized the plan as creating "theatre" around the death penalty. Hasan's execution remains scheduled for Dec. 3, 2026. This follows recent scrutiny of capital punishment in the U.S., including a Tennessee judge’s order to preserve evidence following several unsuccessful attempts to execute Christa Pike by lethal injection.