UN: livestream of US execution could be torture
The United Nations condemn plans to broadcast Nidal Hasan’s military execution publicly.
Follow-up to: Pentagon plans to broadcast execution at Fort Hood Friday, 9 October 2026, 00:41
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The United Nations say the United States’ intention to livestream a military execution could constitute torture. The Pentagon has confirmed that the execution of Nidal Malik Hasan on 3 December is to be made available to the public from Fort Hood.
The UN statement is the most significant new development since the Pentagon announced that the execution would be public. According to the UN, the issue concerns not only the death penalty itself, but also broadcasting the act as a public event.
Hasan was convicted of the fatal shooting at the US Army base Fort Hood in Texas in 2009. According to the Associated Press, thirteen people were killed and 32 others injured. The military authorities have scheduled his execution for 3 December.
The Pentagon has not yet announced which platform would carry the livestream or who exactly would be granted access. It has said, however, that the execution is to be publicly accessible. This differs from modern US practice, in which executions are generally not broadcast to a global audience.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth previously defended the public nature of the execution as a way of making the consequences of serious crimes visible. Human rights organisations and UN officials instead emphasise human dignity and the risk that an execution could turn into a spectacle.
The case is receiving additional attention because it concerns a military execution. If it goes ahead, international reporting suggests it would be the first execution by the US military in decades. That also makes the decision institutionally unusual, irrespective of how the US death penalty is regulated in law.
The planned date is still in the future and the plan could change for legal or administrative reasons. The UN statement is an assessment of the proposed broadcast, not a judicial decision that automatically halts the execution. No definitive information about possible appeals or a change to the plan was found in the sources consulted.
One story, several perspectives
What is established
- The Pentagon has announced a livestream of a planned military execution.
- The execution is scheduled for 3 December at Fort Hood.
- The UN has criticised broadcasting the execution as potentially constituting torture.
Left
Arguments An execution must not be used as a deterrent spectacle. The state must protect human dignity, including that of someone convicted of a serious crime.
Values Human rights, proportionality and restraint in the exercise of state power.
Consequences From this perspective, the plan could reinforce the normalisation of violence and undermine international human rights standards.
Centre
Arguments The United States can apply its own criminal law, but making the execution public requires a separate assessment. Transparency about state power is different from giving the public access to the execution itself.
Values The rule of law, institutional oversight and human dignity.
Consequences A closed execution with independent reporting could, on this view, provide public scrutiny without creating a spectacle.
Right
Arguments Someone definitively convicted by a military court of an exceptionally serious crime must undergo the sentence imposed. From this perspective, a public execution could show that the state acts consistently.
Values Responsibility, security and deterrence.
Consequences Supporters expect it to send a signal to potential offenders, while critics question whether public executions actually deter crime.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
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The planned livestream, the date and the basic facts about the conviction have been confirmed by AP and Reuters. The UN’s characterisation has been attributed to AFP; details about the execution have been marked as uncertain.
- confirmed The Pentagon wants to livestream Nidal Hasan’s military execution. — Confirmed by AP and Reuters. source
- confirmed The planned execution is scheduled for 3 December 2026 at Fort Hood. — Reported by AP. source
- confirmed Hasan was convicted of a shooting in which thirteen people were killed and 32 injured. — Reported by AP. source
- confirmed The UN say livestreaming the execution could constitute torture. — Reported by AFP. source
- confirmed The platform and access conditions are not yet known. — AP reports that further details are still to come. source
Editor's note
The livestream and the UN’s characterisation have been reported by independent sources. Details about the platform, access and possible legal obstacles remain unknown.Sources
- Pentagon says the firing squad execution of Fort Hood shooter will be livestreamed — Associated Press
- US to livestream Army execution of Fort Hood shooter — Reuters via Investing.com
- US decision to livestream execution would be torture, says UN — Arab News / AFP
The story so far
- Friday, 9 October 2026, 00:41 Pentagon plans to broadcast execution at Fort Hood
- Friday, 9 October 2026, 12:47 UN: livestream of US execution could be torture (this article)
More on this in Dutch media
- NU.nl — „verenigde staten”
- De Telegraaf — „verenigde staten”
- AD — „verenigde staten”