UN human rights office says US execution livestream would breach torture ban

The UN human rights office has objected to a US plan to livestream the execution of Nidal Hasan for public viewing. It told AFP on 9 October that broadcasting an execution would amount to a public execution and breach the absolute prohibition on torture. That is the office’s assessment of a proposed broadcast, not a finding about one that has taken place. [3]

The Washington Post reported on 8 October that the US Defence Department had announced the public livestream. Separately, the Army said Hasan’s execution by firing squad was scheduled for 3 December 2026 at 1pm Central Standard Time at Fort Hood, Texas. The Army’s notice, published on 7 October, said acting Army secretary Adam Telle had directed the execution. It established a timetable, not that the execution or broadcast would go ahead. [4] [2]

Public viewing online is distinct from admission to the execution site. A 2023 Army regulation describes selected in-person witnesses, including at least two media representatives; it does not set out the viewing arrangements for the proposed livestream. The platform and conditions for that broadcast remain unclear. [6]

Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth told interviewer Jack Posobiec that people should be able to watch and understand the serious consequences of such acts, according to The Washington Post. The Death Penalty Information Center told the paper that Hegseth’s remarks might be aspirational and said there was no regulation or precedent for making an execution widely available by livestream.