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Who is Nidal Hasan? What to know about US plans to livestream an execution online
BBC • • general
Key Points:
- The US Department of Defense plans to livestream the execution of former Army Major Nidal Hasan by firing squad on 3 December, marking the first-ever broadcast of a US execution, a move that has sparked widespread criticism and legal concerns.
- Hasan was convicted for the 2009 Fort Hood shooting, where he killed 13 unarmed soldiers and injured 32, claiming he acted to protect Muslims and the Taliban from the US military.
- There is uncertainty about who will be allowed to view the livestream, with critics worried about exposing children and the general public to graphic content, while survivors and victims' families have differing opinions on access.
- The UN condemned the livestream plan as potentially constituting cruel and inhuman treatment under international law, and major social media platforms have policies banning live broadcasts of executions or graphic violence.
- The decision to use a firing squad follows difficulties in obtaining lethal injection drugs, with Hasan's execution being the first by the US military since 1961 and the first firing squad execution since World War II.
