Key facts
- 72 retired US military officers signed a letter opposing the livestream.
- Nidal Hasan is scheduled to be executed by firing squad on December 3.
- The officers argued the livestream would violate the US Constitution's cruel and unusual punishment clause.
A group of 72 retired US military officers is pressing the government to cancel plans to livestream the execution of Nidal Hasan, an Army psychiatrist convicted of killing 13 soldiers at Fort Hood in 2009. The Pentagon announced last week that Hasan's execution by firing squad, scheduled for December 3, would be publicly broadcast. President Donald Trump had initially approved the plan, but some administration officials are reportedly reconsidering, and a final decision had not been made as of Tuesday. The retired officers argued in a letter released Wednesday that the livestream would be a "barbaric abuse of authority" and violate constitutional protections against cruel and unusual punishment. They contended it would turn a solemn punishment into a "carnival" and allow enemies to use it to "stoke hatred" and harm Americans.