The Pentagon plans to publicly livestream the execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan by firing squad on December 3, marking the first U.S. military execution in decades and drawing swift global condemnation over the revival of public executions.
The Defense Department announced that the former Army psychiatrist, convicted of killing 13 people and wounding 32 others in a shooting rampage at the Texas military base on November 5, 2009, will face a firing squad on December 3 at Fort Hood, the site of his shooting rampage. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed that the proceedings will be livestreamed on the internet for public viewing.
The decision immediately polarized lawmakers, legal experts, and religious leaders. While supporters point to the severity of Hasan’s crimes and the biblical mandate for capital punishment, international bodies and human rights organizations condemned the broadcast as a return to medieval practices.
Pentagon Defends Firing Squad Broadcast as Bipartisan Critics Cry Foul
Defense officials defended the unprecedented move as a matter of transparency and accountability.
Vice President JD Vance offered a different perspective when speaking to reporters, casting doubt on whether the livestream would ultimately take place and stating he had no intention of watching it himself. President Donald Trump later told reporters at the White House that a final decision on the broadcast was still under review, noting that there are two thoughts: don’t show it and show it. Cause you know, by showing it, maybe other people won’t be doing what he did.
Lawmakers across the aisle voiced sharp opposition. Republican Representative Austin Scott of Georgia wrote on X that live-streaming executions is what jihadists do. America is better than that.
Senator Chris Murphy described public executions as medieval, while Republican Representative Tom Barrett urged the defense secretary to seriously reconsider the choice. Washington Democratic Senator Patty Murray also demanded that the Pentagon revoke the ruling, questioning whether bloodshed should be shown to children for entertainment.
Military Executions Remain Exceptionally Rare
Executions within the U.S. military are exceptionally rare. The last time the military carried out a death sentence was on April 13, 1961, when Army member John A. Bennett was hanged for raping and trying to murder an 11-year-old girl.
Civilian public executions in the United States ended nearly a century ago. The hanging of Rainey Bethea in Owensboro, Kentucky, on August 14, 1936, is widely regarded as the country’s last public execution after he confessed to the rape and killing of 70-year-old Lishia Edwards. Public outrage over the spectacle surrounding Bethea’s death led states to move all executions behind closed doors.
Amnesty International noted that public executions are now largely restricted to authoritarian states. Human rights advocates argued that broadcasting a state-sanctioned killing would push the United States into a small group of nations known for severe human rights abuses.
Survivor Reactions and Religious Leaders Weigh In
For those directly affected by the 2009 massacre, the announcement reopened old wounds. Alonzo Lunsford, a former Army staff sergeant who was shot seven times by Hasan at the Fort Hood Soldier Readiness Processing Center, said he plans to attend the execution.
“Because people need to understand that there’s serious consequences for these types of things.”
Pete Hegseth, Defense Secretary, via Real America’s Voice
Religious figures expressed deep division over the announcement. Robert Jeffress, senior pastor of First Baptist Church Dallas, voiced support for the public execution, citing biblical scripture on the sanctity of life. The more people that can see that truth illustrated through a public execution, the better,
Jeffress said in an interview with Dallas News.
Conversely, international and domestic religious leaders condemned the plan. Pope Leo XIV, marking the World Day Against the Death Penalty, reiterated church teaching that capital punishment is inadmissible and attacks human dignity. Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican secretary of state, called the planned broadcast truly incomprehensible
and unacceptable to turn death into a spectacle,
in comments reported by 6abc Philadelphia.
Legal Uncertainty and Remaining Hurdles Before December
Legal experts questioned whether the Pentagon has the regulatory authority to broadcast an execution.
Deborah Denno, a death penalty specialist at Fordham University, noted that while a livestream could theoretically offer transparency amid ongoing debates over execution protocols—such as a recent botched lethal injection in Tennessee—it remains unclear whether Hasan will launch legal challenges in civilian court to block the execution or the public broadcast, which could significantly delay the December 3 schedule.