US Plans To Livestream Execution Of Fort Hood Shooter

The planned execution of former US Army psychiatrist Nidal Hasan could be livestreamed to the public, raising legal and human rights concerns over the unprecedented move.

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said the public would be able to watch the execution. A Pentagon official confirmed to the BBC that the livestream was planned.

Hasan was sentenced to death for killing 13 unarmed US soldiers in a 2009 shooting at Fort Hood, Texas. The attack took place inside a crowded medical building, where Hasan opened fire on fellow military personnel.

The Pentagon announced earlier this week that Hasan would be executed by firing squad, in what would be the first US military execution in more than 60 years. If livestreamed, it is believed to be the first public execution in the country in almost a century.

The proposal has drawn criticism from legal experts and human rights officials. John Mills, a lawyer who works with death row inmates, described the decision as unprecedented in the modern era and legally uncertain. The United Nations human rights office warned that livestreaming the execution would amount to a public execution and breach the absolute prohibition of torture.

Democratic Senator Chris Murphy also condemned the idea, comparing it to executions carried out by the Islamic State group.

Alonzo Lunsford, a former sergeant who survived the Fort Hood attack after being shot seven times, supports the firing squad but has reservations about broadcasting the execution to everyone. He believes survivors and victims’ families should have the opportunity to watch it uncensored.

Lunsford plans to attend the execution and says he wants Hasan to look him in the eyes before the shots are fired.