US plans to livestream execution

The Pentagon said it would livestream the execution by firing squad of Nidal Malik Hasan on December 3rd, but has not confirmed how or on what platform.

Who is Nidal Malik Hasan

Hasan, a fifty-six-year-old former army psychiatrist, was sentenced to death in two thousand thirteen after being convicted of thirteen counts of premeditated murder and thirty-two counts of attempted premeditated murder.

Fort Hood victims

Twelve of the thirteen killed and thirty of the wounded in the two thousand nine Fort Hood mass shooting were soldiers. Hasan carried out the attack at the military base in Texas.

International condemnation

The plan has drawn severe concern in the US and internationally, including among politicians, religious leaders and human rights advocates, with critics comparing the Trump administration to dictatorships.

UN warns of torture breach

The United Nations office of the high commissioner for human rights warned that broadcasting the killing would amount to a public execution and breach the absolute prohibition of torture.

Greens demand action

Sarah Hanson-Young, the Greens communications spokesperson, wrote to minister Anika Wells and the eSafety commission urging they take whatever action is necessary to block the execution being broadcast in Australia.

“I think this is incredibly shocking and barbaric, and Australians don't want this on our screens.”

Government response

The Albanese government said vision of an execution being livestreamed would be deeply distressing to many Australians. Platforms have a responsibility to meet expectations that content won't appear on screens.

“No one should be confronted with it, particularly younger Australians.”

Cross-party support

Shadow communications minister Sarah Henderson called the execution abhorrent and violent, saying she had written to eSafety to ask whether federal regulations around broadcast of violent material would apply.

Censorship concerns raised

One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce called the public nature of the execution Roman amphitheatre stuff but expressed concerns about opening the door to a censorship ban on the internet.

“If it's going to be livestreamed, how are you going to do that without creating the artifice to be able to block content on the internet?”

eSafety's available powers

Under the Online Safety Act, the eSafety commissioner can order platforms to block Australians' access to content classified as refused classification under Australia's classification code.

Recent precedents

The eSafety commissioner ordered platforms to remove footage of a bishop stabbing in a Sydney church in two thousand twenty-four. X challenged the order, shifting eSafety to blocking Australian access rather than requiring removal.

Broader digital duty framework

Minister Anika Wells is negotiating a digital duty of care bill that would place further obligations on big tech to protect users from harmful content. The legislation is expected to be introduced this week.