• A U.S. Air Force MQ-1 Predator unmanned aerial vehicle flies near the Southern California Logistics Airport in Victorville, California in this USAF handout photo.
    © Reuters 2013
    Q & A: US Targeted Killings and International Law
    This Q&A focuses on legal and policy issues related to targeted killings, primarily attacks using unmanned aerial vehicles, known as drones, conducted by the US Armed Forces and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
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Targeted Killings and Drones

  • US: Statement to the Senate Judiciary Committee on "Targeted Killing"
    Apr 23, 2013
    On April 23, 2013, the US Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Human Rights held a hearing entitled “Drone Wars: The Constitutional and Counterterrorism Implications of Targeted Killing”. Letta Tayler, Senior Researcher in the Terrorism/Counterterrorism Division submitted the following testimony for the record.
  • Joint Letter to President Obama on US Drone Strikes and Targeted Killings
    Apr 12, 2013
    We write to convey a statement of shared concerns regarding US targeted killing policy. Our statement, attached, urges the administration to take essential steps to: publicly disclose key targeted killing standards and criteria; ensure that US lethal force operations abroad comply with international law; enable meaningful congressional oversight and judicial review; and ensure effective investigations, tracking and response to civilian harm.
  • US: Move Drone Strike Program to Military
    Mar 21, 2013
    A reported plan to transfer the United States targeted killing program from the Central Intelligence Agency to the Defense Department could improve transparency and accountability, though a number of other concerns with the program would remain.
  • What Rules Should Govern US Drone Attacks?
    Mar 11, 2013
  • Israel: Gaza Airstrikes Violated Laws of War
    Feb 12, 2013
    At least 18 Israeli airstrikes during the fighting in Gaza in November 2012 were in apparent violation of the laws of war, Human Rights Watch said today after a detailed investigation into the attacks. These airstrikes killed at least 44 Palestinian civilians, including 12 children.
  • Anatomy of an Air Attack Gone Wrong
    Dec 26, 2012
    The villagers who rushed to the road, cutting through rocky fields in central Yemen, found the dead strewn around a burning sport utility vehicle. The bodies were dusted with white powder -- flour and sugar, the witnesses said -- that the victims were bringing home from market when the aircraft attacked. A torched woman clutched her daughter in a lifeless embrace. Four severed heads littered the pavement.
  • Letter to UK Prime Minister, David Cameron on Targetted Killings
    Jul 16, 2012
  • US: ‘Targeted Killing’ Policy Disregards Human Rights Law
    May 1, 2012
    Human Rights Watch responded to a statement made by chief US counterterrorism advisor John Brennan on April 30, 2012, that sought to clarify and justify the US use of aerial drones in targeted killings in Pakistan, Yemen and elsewhere.
  • US: Transfer CIA Drone Strikes to Military
    Apr 20, 2012
    Remarks by a US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) official suggesting the agency is not legally bound by the laws of war underscore the urgent need for the Obama administration to transfer command of all aerial drone strikes to the armed forces.
  • US: End CIA Drone Attacks
    Dec 19, 2011
    The US government should transfer Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) command of aerial drone strikes to the armed forces and clarify its legal rationale for targeted killings, Human Rights Watch said today in a letter to President Barack Obama and in a questions and answers document. A dramatic increase in the use of CIA drone strikes underscores the need for the US to demonstrate that the CIA adheres to international legal requirements for accountability, Human Rights Watch said.
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