Australia says US plans to livestream execution ‘absolutely disgusting’

An Australian minister has denounced US plans to broadcast Nidal Hasan's execution online as "absolutely disgusting". Hasan, a former soldier, carried out a shooting spree in 2009 at Fort Hood, Texas, killing 13 people. His execution by military firing squad is set for December 3rd and would mark the first such public execution in the US military since 1945.

Pentagon officials had announced that the execution would be livestreamed, following comments from defense secretary Pete Hegseth. When informed of the proposal, Australian environment minister Murray Watt was shocked and said it was "very distressing" to have such a publicised event. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights also condemned the plan, arguing that streaming an execution is equivalent to a public execution and would violate torture prohibitions.

Similarly, Australian politicians across the political spectrum have expressed strong disapproval. The Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young called for regulators to prevent the execution from being shown to Australian audiences. While Australia's internet regulator does not have the power to block the livestream, eSafety Commissioner officials argued that online services have a responsibility to protect users from harmful content under Australian law.