Retired US generals call on Pentagon to cancel 'barbaric' execution livestream

Hind Al Soulia - Riyadh - WASHINGTON — A group of 72 retired generals, admirals, and other high-ranking military officers are pressing the US government to call off plans to livestream an execution by firing squad set for December 3, 2026.

They're calling the idea "barbaric" and worry that showing it could turn Hasan into a "martyr."

Last week, the Pentagon announced it would publicly show the 3 December execution of Nidal Hasan, an Army psychiatrist who shot dead 13 unarmed US soldiers at the Fort Hood military base.

President Donald Trump had initially approved the livestream, but now faces strong pushback from both political parties.

In their open letter released on Wednesday, the former military leaders, who included 45 generals, 12 admirals and several former advocates general, said they did not oppose the death penalty being carried out.

But the former military leaders say making an execution public crosses a line and could violate constitutional protections against cruel punishment.

They argued a public execution would violate the US Constitution's protections against cruel and unusual punishment and turn what should be a "solemn and grave punishment" into "a carnival for the enjoyment of voyeurs and spectators".

They also warn it might damage the military's reputation and stir up anti-American feelings.

If it goes ahead, this would be America's first public execution in nearly 100 years, a move many politicians, academics and experts, and religious leaders think is just wrong.

"We ask the President, our Congressional representatives, and our fellow citizens to act to prevent this barbaric abuse of authority," the military leaders wrote in the letter, where they also argued the livestream would turn the mass killer into a "martyr".

"It will be used by our nation's enemies to stoke hatred, harm American soldiers and citizens in the future, and will ensure that Hasan becomes a martyr for attacking and killing his fellow soldiers."

Lawmakers from both parties, as well as religious leaders, have criticised the plan.

Last week Trump said he "absolutely" approved of the livestream plan, but some administration officials are now leaning against it, according to CBS News.

The letter's signatories came from throughout the military and included a handful of officers who retired during Trump's first term. Some also had served during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

Hasan said in court that he carried out the shooting at Fort Hood, the deadliest ever non-combat attack on an American base, believing he was protecting Muslims from the US military. Hasan was shot during the attack and now uses a wheelchair.

Retired Maj Gen Tony Taguba, who led the Army's investigation into reported prisoner abuses at Abu Ghraib in Iraq, and retired Air Force Coll Moe Davis, a prosecutor at the Guatanamo Bay detention center who called waterboarding torture, signed the letter.

So did Charles Bolden, a US Marine Corps Major General who became the head of NASA, and a retired Lt Gen Claudia Kennedy, the first woman to become a three-star general in the Army.

Trump has said he signed off on the execution, but while he approves of the livestream plan, a final decision is yet to be made.

The livestream plan, which was announced by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, has been heavily criticised by politicians, academics and experts.