The United States (US) will livestream the execution of former Army major Nidal Hasan, who killed 13 unarmed soldiers at Fort Hood in Texas in 2009, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has said.
The execution, scheduled for December 3, will take place by firing squad in a decision that legal experts and human rights officials have questioned.
John Mills, a lawyer who works with death-row inmates, described the plan as “unprecedented in the modern era” and said that it raises questions about the legal basis for publicly broadcasting an execution.
“People need to understand that there’s serious consequences for these types of things,” Hegseth said in an interview with an American media outlet.
Hegseth said that Hasan will face a firing squad made up of soldiers. Asked whether Hasan had made any final requests or contacted President of US Donald Trump, the defence secretary said, “Don’t care. We’ll see him on December 3rd.”
Earlier, a Pentagon spokesperson said that Trump had approved Hegseth’s recommendation to execute Hasan.
The United Nations (UN) human rights office told an international media outlet that livestreaming the execution would be “tantamount to a public execution” and breach the absolute prohibition of torture.
Democratic Senator Chris Murphy also criticised the proposal, calling it “disgusting” and comparing it to executions carried out by the Islamic State group.
Hasan, an Army psychiatrist from Virginia, admitted fatally shooting 13 unarmed soldiers inside a crowded medical building at Fort Hood. During his 2013 court martial, he apologised for “any mistakes” and said that he believed he was protecting Muslims and the Taliban in Afghanistan.
Alonzo Lunsford, a former US Army sergeant who was shot seven times during the attack, stated that he supported Hasan’s execution by firing squad, describing the method as “befitting” for his actions.
However, he expressed concern about allowing the general public, particularly younger people, to watch the livestream.
Lunsford said that survivors and the families of those killed should have the opportunity to witness the execution. “As far as the families of the fallen and the families of the survivors, and the survivors themselves, yes, I think we should be able to look at it uncensored,” he said.
He also said that he plans to attend the execution and wants Hasan to look him in the eyes before the soldiers fire. “I want him to know he failed. I’m still here,” Lunsford said.
A military execution requires presidential approval, an appellate review and a final determination that the execution can legally proceed.
Deborah Denno, a law professor at Fordham University who has studied execution methods in the US, said that no execution in the country had previously been livestreamed.
While some states require journalists to attend executions, others allow the person facing execution to invite witnesses or permit members of the public to volunteer, she said.
Denno added that a livestream could introduce a level of transparency not previously seen in the US execution system. She also raised questions about whether access to the broadcast would be restricted by age.
Amnesty International recorded more than 2,700 executions across 17 countries last year, but only two countries carried out public executions. The organisation recorded 11 public executions in Iran in 2025 and another six in Afghanistan.
The countries with the highest numbers of executions last year were China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and the US.
