From Firing Squads to Frontlines
Nonviolent Peaceforce Calls for Urgent Intervention on Livestreamed Execution Plans
US plans to livestream an execution by firing squad is part of a broader campaign against civilian life that sets a brutal and dehumanizing precedent, NP warns.
Friday, 9 October 2026 – WASHINGTON, DC, USA: Nonviolent Peaceforce (NP) is deeply alarmed by US plans to televise the execution by firing squad of Nidal Hasan, highlighting such a dehumanizing spectacle as part of a broader campaign to normalize state-sanctioned violence.
“Protecting human life starts with respecting human life. Regardless of the crime committed, to livestream an execution by firing squad sets a brutal and dehumanizing precedent. It is a breach of the prohibition on torture as per the UN,” said Roz Lee, Nonviolent Peaceforce’s Head of Mission in the United States.
Nonviolent Peaceforce has warned repeatedly of the consequences of the continued increase in state-sanctioned violence. “At NP, we talk about interrupting cycles of violence. A public execution does not erase or heal the violence that Nidal Hasan committed – it further normalizes and embeds it.
“This is part of an ongoing, calculated, and catastrophic erosion of a sense of responsibility for human life. Nonviolent Peaceforce opposes state-sanctioned killing, whether in the United States, or anywhere else. Whether it is one person that is killed or an entire community that is targeted, we must be clear that such acts damage our collective humanity,” added Lee.
“For leaders to be confidently, publicly, and repeatedly calling for violence - whether an individual execution or mass violence against civilians in places like Ukraine and Gaza – signals we are in an era of barbarism. We are risking irreparable harm to our collective empathy, regard for life, and sense that there must be accountability for harm,” warned Tiffany Easthom, Executive Director for Nonviolent Peaceforce.
“We need those who stand for civilian life and protection to be even louder. We need US officials to stop this execution. We need world leaders to use their political capital to pressure and influence those who intend to harm and violate rights to protection. And we need all people to stand against the erosion of our common humanity,” added Easthom.
About Nonviolent Peaceforce
Nonviolent Peaceforce (NP) is an international protection agency. Our mission is to protect civilians in violent conflicts through unarmed strategies, build peace side-by-side with local communities, and advocate for the wider adoption of these approaches to safeguard human lives and dignity. NP's duty of care programming aims to reduce the physical risks volunteers are exposed to as well as support the psychological resilience of volunteer networks and the communities they serve.
For media inquiries, please contact Mahmoud Shabeeb, NP's Global Media Advisor, at [email protected].