Key facts
- Nidal Hasan's execution by firing squad will not be livestreamed.
- Victims' families may attend the execution.
- The execution is scheduled for December 3.
- This will be the first US military firing squad execution since 1945.
President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that the scheduled December 3 execution of Nidal Hasan, the convicted Fort Hood shooter, will not be livestreamed. Trump stated that while streaming the execution might serve as a deterrent, many people would prefer not to watch. He added that Hasan will die by firing squad as scheduled, but the event will not be streamed. The plan to livestream the execution had drawn widespread backlash from politicians across the aisle and religious groups. Critics argued that livestreaming executions aligns with the practices of extremist groups. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights condemned the proposal as a breach of the prohibition of torture and tantamount to a public execution. Archbishop Paul Coakley described the plan as a barbaric promotion of a culture of death. The execution is slated to be the first by a US military firing squad since 1945. Hasan killed 13 people and wounded 30 in a 2009 shooting at Fort Hood.