The United Nations has condemned American plans to broadcast the upcoming execution of Fort Hood gunman Nidal Hasan via a live stream. Global officials warned that televising the firing squad could effectively constitute a public execution and violate international bans on torture.
During a daily briefing in New York, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric described the broadcasting plan as abhorrent. He noted that similar public executions witnessed in nations like Iran or Afghanistan can amount to cruel, inhuman, or degrading punishment.
Displaying the event live is essentially equivalent to a public execution and may breach the prohibition against torture, Dujarric explained. He added that carrying out a government execution in public or before live cameras is deeply objectionable.
Hasan was convicted for a November 2009 shooting rampage at the Fort Hood military base in Texas that left 13 people dead and 31 others wounded. He is scheduled to become the first individual executed by a US military firing squad since 1945.
The execution is currently set for December 3 at the very same sprawling Texas military facility where Hasan opened fire inside a medical facility using a handgun.