• The US military will livestream the execution of Nidal Malik Hasan on December 3.
• This will be the first public execution in the US since 1936, raising significant legal questions.
• Concerns have been raised about the ethics and potential risk to minors witnessing the execution livestream.
• Experts highlight possible legal challenges to the execution's broadcast under US and international law.

The US Pentagon confirmed plans to livestream the firing squad execution of Nidal Malik Hasan, the Army psychiatrist convicted of killing 13 people at Fort Hood in 2009. Scheduled for December 3, this execution marks a historic first for the US military, as it has not executed anyone by firing squad since 1945, according to Channel News Asia and India Times.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth indicated that the livestream would serve as a public deterrent, asserting that “people need to understand that ... there are serious consequences for these types of things.” This execution, set for the same time and day as the 2009 shooting, has been characterized by Hegseth as a “no-brainer”, according to Al Jazeera and India Times.

The decision to broadcast Hasan's execution has provoked considerable backlash from legal experts and rights groups who argue that it poses risks, especially to minors who are typically prohibited from witnessing executions. Legal expert Clive Stafford Smith expressed that this move could violate several US laws against broadcasting "obscene, indecent, or graphic material," while also raising issues of human dignity, according to Channel News Asia and Al Jazeera.

The execution's legality is further complicated by the potential for Hasan to challenge the broadcast as a violation of his rights. Eugene Fidell, a military law expert, noted that Hasan could file a habeas petition in civilian court to delay the execution, which could introduce additional legal disputes over the livestreaming itself, according to India Times and Al Jazeera.

The last public execution in the United States occurred in 1936, raising questions about the morality and implications of such a spectacle in modern society. Critics, including Senator Chris Murphy, have condemned the move as "medieval," likening it to practices seen in countries with more regressive justice systems, highlighting a need for a thorough examination of the ethical ramifications of public executions, according to Channel News Asia and Al Jazeera.