Firing squad execution of US ex-Army Major to be livestreamed – Pentagon

The execution of former US Army Major Nidal Hasan by firing squad will be livestreamed to the public, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has said.

According to the BBC, a Defence Department official confirmed plans to broadcast the December 3 execution of Hasan, who killed 13 unarmed soldiers at Fort Hood, Texas, in 2009.

Hegseth defended the decision, saying: “People need to understand that there’s serious consequences for these types of things.”

Hasan, a former US Army psychiatrist, admitted carrying out the mass shooting and is scheduled to become the first military prisoner executed in more than 60 years.

The United Nations human rights office said livestreaming the execution would be “tantamount to a public execution and would breach the absolute prohibition of torture”.

Former Army Sergeant Alonzo Lunsford, who was shot seven times during the attack, supports the firing squad but believes access should be restricted.

“I want him to know he failed. I’m still here,” Lunsford said, adding that he plans to attend the execution.