Key facts
- New Zealand's Classification Office cannot block the planned livestream of Nidal Hasan's execution.
- The office stated it lacks the authority to block livestream events as they occur.
- Nidal Hasan, convicted of killing 13 people at Fort Hood in 2009, is scheduled for execution by firing squad on December 3.
- US President Donald Trump approved the execution.
- Human rights groups have condemned the decision to livestream the execution.
New Zealand's national censor has stated it would be unable to block the planned livestream of a US military execution, citing legal limitations. The Classification Office said it cannot classify livestream events as they are happening and lacks the authority to block them.
Nidal Hasan, a former Army psychiatrist convicted of killing 13 people and wounding 32 others at the Fort Hood military base in Texas in 2009, is scheduled to be executed by firing squad on December 3. The Pentagon announced on Thursday that the execution would be livestreamed, an unprecedented move for a US execution.
New Zealand Chief Censor Caroline Flora noted that the threshold for banning content under New Zealand law is high, requiring a balance between freedom of expression and the likelihood of harm. She stated that distressing content is not always unlawful.
The decision has particular resonance in New Zealand, which has been at the forefront of combating violent online content since a gunman livestreamed his 2019 mosque attacks. Then-Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern launched a global campaign on the issue following that event.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth described the execution by firing squad as a "no-brainer," emphasizing the need to understand serious consequences for such actions. Under US military law, President Donald Trump approved the execution based on Hegseth's recommendation, according to the Pentagon.
Human rights groups have criticized the decision. Amnesty International Australia urged Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to press the US to reverse its decision, with campaign manager Kyinzom Dhongdue calling the livestreaming of an execution an "appalling disregard for human dignity" and a compounding of the cruelty of the death penalty.