Retired Military Leaders Oppose Livestream of Hasan’s Execution

A group of 72 retired generals and senior military officials have urged the Trump administration to cancel plans to livestream the execution of Nidal Malik Hasan. Hasan, an Army psychiatrist, was convicted for the 2009 shooting at Fort Hood that killed 13 people. President Donald Trump approved Hasan’s execution by firing squad, scheduled for December 3.

The Pentagon stated the execution would be public after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s interview. The retired officers’ open letter expressed serious concerns, citing the potential violation of the Eighth Amendment and the degradation of military and national values. They emphasized that while Hasan’s crimes warranted the death sentence, the government must ensure constitutional compliance during execution.

The letter highlighted the detrimental effects of livestreaming. It would compromise the human dignity of the prisoner and transform a solemn event into spectacle. The spectacle could also harm the military’s honor and fuel enemies’ propaganda against the United States, endangering soldiers and citizens.

The letter was signed by numerous retired officials, such as General Johnnie Wilson and Lieutenant-General Charles P. Otstott, USA (Ret).

President Trump, a proponent of capital punishment, approved the livestream but reconsideration took place amid debates within his administration. Concerns arose about potential propaganda use by adversaries, and Trump’s evolving stance was influenced by Hasan’s medical condition since his injury during the incident.

Bipartisan political leaders and religious figures, including Archbishop Paul Coakley, oppose the broadcast. Coakley criticized the plan as promoting a ‘culture of death.’

Hasan, who was paralyzed after the shooting, has no further appellate options as the U.S. Supreme Court denied his appeal in March 2025. The execution approval followed scrutiny over states’ death penalty methods, spotlighted by a recent failed execution attempt in Tennessee.

The Army’s regulations dictate execution witnessing but do not allow public access beyond specific roles. John Galligan, Hasan’s representative in civil matters, noted these restrictions against public and extensive media presence.

While the Army has not disclosed procedural specifics for the firing squad, it confirmed that the execution would adhere to governing regulations. The military’s last execution by firing squad was during World War II, and the last overall was in 1961.