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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Hallie Golden

US public executions were once a community spectacle. The country thought they stopped

A fallen soldiers memorial is seen in front of the podium where the memorial service that US President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama will attend for the thirteen victims of the shooting rampage by US Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan on November 10, 2009 in Fort Hood, Texas - (AFP/Getty)

For about nine decades, executions in the U.S. have been private affairs, often shrouded in secrecy. The stunning Pentagon announcement Thursday that the first military execution in more than 65 years will be livestreamed could change that.

Allowing the world to watch Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan face the firing squad in December would make it the first public execution since two hangings in the 1930s in Kentucky and Missouri drew crowds.

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