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UN opens probe into drone deaths (DAWN)

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Post subject: UN opens probe into drone deaths (DAWN)
Posted: Fri Jan 25, 2013 6:48 pm

UN opens probe into drone deaths (DAWN)

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LONDON: The UNs envoy on counter-terrorism

counter terrorism and human
rights launched an investigation on Thursday into the impact
of drone strikes on civilians, aimed at securing
accountability for attacks going badly wrong.

Joined: Sun Feb 05, 2012 2:00

am
Posts: 768
Location: Karachi Pakistan

Ben Emmerson, a British lawyer and United Nations special

rapporteur, said the huge expansion in the technology
behind unmanned planes, and consequently their increasing
use, required a new legal framework.
The plain fact is that this technology is here to sstay, and its
use in theatres of conflict is a reality with which the world
must contend, he told reporters in London.
It is therefore imperative that appropriate legal and
operational structures are urgently put in place to regulate
its use in a manner that complies with the requirements of
international law.

CIA drone attacks in Pakistan have killed up to 3,461 people

since 2004, according to Britains Bureau of Investigative
Journalism, up to 891 of them civilians including 176
children.
The UN envoys investigation will focus on 25 case studies of
attacks in Pakistan as well as Afghanistan, the Palestinian
territories, Somalia and Yemen.
Its main objective is to examine evidence that drone strikes
can cause disproportionate civilian casualties, and come up
with recommendations on the duty of states to investigate
such allegations.
Mr Emmerson said his investigation was aimed at securing
accountability and reparation where things can be shown to
have gone badly wrong, with potentially grave consequences
for civilians.
Official US figures show that Predator and Reaper drones in
Afghanistan fired some 506 missiles in 2012, up 72 per cent
on 2011.
But Mr Emmerson said the inquiry would not just focus on
the United States and Israel, because 51 states now had the
technology to carry missiles on drones.
He said he could imagine terror groups getting their hands
on drones in the not too distant future.
Highlighting the problems, Mr Emmerson said the legal
situation in Afghanistan, where there was a recognised
international armed conflict, was very different to the
Palestinian territories.
In Yemen, it might be considered that there was an internal
armed conflict in some parts of the country but not in
others.
The 25 case studies would be examined to see if there was
a plausible allegation of unlawful killing that should trigger
the international law obligations to investigate, Mr
Emmerson said.

He would then put any allegations to the relevant states for

a response before reporting to the UN General Assembly in
October.
He said he would make recommendations for further UN
action if that proves to be justified by the findings.
Mr Emmerson added that he was optimistic of receiving
cooperation from Pakistan, Yemen, the United States and
Britain.
Pakistans viewpoint
A spokesman for Pakistans foreign ministry told a news
briefing that the investigation was part of a broader
mandate given to Mr Emmerson by the UN Human Rights
Council to examine possible violations of human rights in
counter-terrorism
operations.
Foreign Office spokesman Moazzam Khan said that Pakistan,
along with some like-minded countries, had called for
examining the targeted and extrajudicial killing, including
through drone strikes, of civilians and non-combatants.
Mr Khan added that Pakistan regarded drone attacks as a
violation of its sovereignty and territorial integrity. Such
strikes, he said, had no legality and were counterproductive.
He said the issue had been a constant source of concern for
Pakistan. We have been communicating this to the US
administration at every level, said the spokesman
_________________

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