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UN to US: Drone Attacks Could Be Unlawful

Human rights watchdog wants more accountability from CIA in Pakistan

By Harry Kimball,  Newser Staff

Posted Oct 28, 2009 10:58 AM CDT
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(Newser) – A UN human rights watchdog has some strong misgivings about the CIA drone attacks on suspected terrorists in Pakistan that have killed 600 people since last year. "Extralegal executions" are a violation of international law, Philip Alston tells the BBC. “These Predators are being operated in a framework which may well violate international humanitarian law and international human rights law,” he says. The US says the UN Human Rights Council has no business interfering in an armed conflict.

The US also says it has procedures to deal with unlawful killings, an assurance Alston finds “simply untenable.” The US must be transparent when it comes to possible arbitrary killings, Alston says. “The onus is really on the government of the United States to reveal more about the ways in which it makes sure that arbitrary executions, extrajudicial executions, are not in fact being carried out through the use of these weapons.”

Philip Alston, UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions.
Philip Alston, UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions.   (AP Photo)
Avionic technicians and mechanics move a Predator.
Avionic technicians and mechanics move a Predator.   (AP Photo)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 22 comments
Face-Of-RNC
Nov 11, 2009 4:50 AM CST
Such heart-warming christian sentiments.
fancygapva
Oct 29, 2009 12:53 PM CDT
I believe the difference is that in Darfur what is going on is genocide, killing members of a group, ethnic or national or religious, with the intention of exterminating the whole group. What is going on when we target what we believe are particular terrorist leaders with drones is that we are doing extralegal executions, in other words, executing people for what we believe are crimes that they committed without benefit of a trial, targeting particular individuals. If we believe they committed crimes then it behooves us to capture and try them under international law. That is the position that the UN is taking. We are also, in this process, generating sizable collateral damage. Both of these are a problem in terms of international law. If we want our people treated humanely if captured and we torture people we suspect of terrorism when we capture them, then we should re-evaluate our treatment of captives. If we want these Middle and Southeast Asian nations to behave democratically and practice the rule of law, then we have to do so also. We have many choices regarding how to prosecute our pursuit of terrorists. If we want the moral high ground perhaps we should re-evaluate the methods that the Bush administration used as we try to win "hearts and minds."
codiej
Oct 29, 2009 12:30 PM CDT
"Put the big bad Delta Force killers to work on the ground. Let them put bullets into the Taliban heads." - the only thing you said that makes sense.

 
Iraq • CIA • Pakistan • execution • UAVs • drones • Predator • suspected terrorists • United Nations Human Rights Council • Central Intelligence Agency • Philip Alston

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