The Pentagon intends to broadcast an execution live amid great controversy

The United States is preparing to execute the death sentence against Nidal Malik Hassan, a former psychiatrist in the US Army, by firing squad, on December 3, in a move that sparked widespread controversy after the US Department of Defense announced its intention to broadcast the execution process live.

A Pentagon official confirmed yesterday, Thursday, that the execution will be broadcast live, and the announcement comes after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said, “The public will be able to watch the execution.”

According to the US Army, the sentence is scheduled to be implemented at Fort Hood, Texas, where the attacks that Hassan was convicted of committing in 2009 occurred. US President Donald Trump had agreed to implement the sentence on October 2, while the implementation date was set for December 3, 2026.

Fort Hood attack

Hassan was convicted of killing 13 people and wounding 32 others in a shooting that occurred inside the Fort Hood military base on November 5, 2009. He was working as a psychiatrist with the rank of major in the US Army at the time.

In 2013, a military court convicted him of premeditated murder and attempted murder, and the jury recommended the death penalty. During the trial, Hassan defended himself and admitted his responsibility for the shooting.

Controversy over public broadcasting

The decision brings to the fore the history of public executions in the United States, which gradually declined until executions began to take place out of public view. The last widely known public execution in the country dates back to 1936, when Rene Petea was hanged in Kentucky in front of a crowd of onlookers.

It will also be the first execution by firing squad carried out by the US Army since 1945, when soldier Eddie Slovic was executed during World War II on charges of desertion.