UN Launches Drone Investigation Into Legality Of U.S. Program

UN Launches Drone Investigation Into Legality Of U.S. Program

www.huffingtonpost.com

The United Nations opened a major new investigation on Thursday into the United States' use of drones and targeted assassinations.

The U.N. investigation, led by special rapporteur on counterterrorism and human rights Ben Emmerson, is expected to focus on the legal justification for America's expansive drone program, which has largely remained secretive and unexamined.

(visit the link for the full news article)


Related News Links:
www.foreignpolicy.com
americansecuri typroject.org

Related AboveTopSecret.com Discussion Threads:
US drone strikes 'raise questions' - UN's Navi Pillay
U.S. Drone CAM was watching Benghazi attacks
Senator Asks CIA Nominee When Drones Can Kill Americans

In reality, the public does not know how many drone strikes the U.S.
government has carried out accross the globe, estimates that 80% of deaths
are innocent civilians.

Additionally no government involved with drones strikes – the U.S.,
Pakistan, Yemen, or Somalia – has official tallies
of the number of drone stikes, the number of casualties,
nor the complete list countries where strikes have occured.

Without data on the number and locations,
researchers must rely on journalists to try and estimate
the records of casualites and strikes.

People, this is beyond outrageous. Even the official
statement by the U.N admits these drone strikes are
still carried out in secret, without accountability.

At one

end of the spectrum the analysis that has been promoted by
international lawyers in the United States, and by John Brennan,President Obama’s
nominee to head the CIA, to the effect that Western democracies are engaged in a global
against a stateless enemy, without geographical boundaries to the theatre of conflict,
and without limit of time.

This analysis is heavily disputed by most States, and by the
majority of international lawyers outside the United States of America. www.foreignpolicy.com...

At the other end, we have U.S. Senators asking when
Drone Strikes will start on U.S. Citizens.

Do you think that is far fetched?

Is collatteral damage acceptable if its not
in your neighborhood?

Thoughts ATS?


An MQ-1 Predator takes off from Creech Air Force Base,Nevada. U.S. Air Force


www.huffingtonpost.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

I really hope this goes somewhere and actions taken to stop this despicable way of killing. Only time will tell. It really bothers me that the people operating and carrying out these strikes could care less if there's innocent people near by, what kind of humans are these people?

here was the UN investigation with the bombing of the Ho chi Minh Highway, the chemical bombing in Fallujah, Uranium bombs in Yougoslavia, Iraq and Afghanistan, fumigation in Colombia and man made epidemic of swine in Cuba.

If there is one good thing the drones did it is create this UN investigation. The reason the UN is interested is because of the eerie sneakiness of the drones and a recurring idea that machines will rise one day.

But in actuality drones are only a different way of killing someone. Is being killed by a drone any different than being killed by napalm? Is being spied on by drones the same as by helicopter or phone tap? It escapes me why there is so much interest in this one specific way you can kill someone when there is already close to a million other ways the millitary can knock on your door from 30,000 feet in the sky.

It's about F'ing time! If our damn Government refuses to listen to it's own citizens maybe they will listen to the U.N.

Thanks for your comments, I agree something has to be done.

Originally posted by Putyournamehere
what kind of humans are these people?

Are they really human?

Probably, though removed from the battle upwards
of 7,000 miles, watching on a screen in large part must remove them from
the predicament or morality.

Air Force pilots, reliant on satellite guidance.
Statistics as high as 50 civilians killed for every 1 "terrorist".

ETA: Study Here

There are estimates as high as 98% of drone strike casualties being civilians (50 for every one "suspected terrorist"). The Bureau of Investigative Journalism issued a report detailing how the CIA is deliberately targeting those who show up after the sight of an attack, rescuers, and mourners at funerals as a part of a "double-tap" strategy eerily reminiscient of methods used by terrorist groups like Hamas. www.policymic.com... e

Originally posted by MisterMandlebrot

If there is one good thing the drones did it is create this UN investigation. The reason the UN is interested is because of the eerie sneakiness of the drones and a recurring idea that machines will rise one day.

Yes, though I must admit...Its a strange day that I would be interested to see the U.N. pursue
governance over The U.S. In large part as I have my resevations as to their ultimate role and
goal in world affairs, yet I must agree something needs to be done.

Just a thought...scarier than the U.S. operating in the dark,
would be a world governance policy on the legality of drone strikes.
If you follow, they ultimatly would be setting the boundries of Sky Net.

But in actuality drones are only a different way of killing someone..

Yes, and a cowardly way at that.

The real reason they are doing this, wars and drones that kill 80% civilians and children is because they know the universal laws of consequence and the consequences that are brought to earth and lowering frequency by doing this. Even though its carried out by a small number. What they don't know is earth is a giant sting operation. One day they will.

I understand the UN is checking on the UK as well for drone strikes....

Originally posted by Unity_99
What they don't know is earth is a giant sting operation. One day they will.

I could not agree with you more, the law of nature in force whether they think it or not.
I hope I live to see the day. Thanks Unity99

I'll summarize the findings for you ahead of time:

Results: Inconclusive

And nothing will change

reply to post by scotsdavy1


Your right, a few articles I found mention U.S,.allies....

The U.N. announced Thursday the launch of its investigation into targeted killings carried out by the U.S. and its allies

www.salon.com...

Originally posted by burntheships
reply to post by scotsdavy1

 

Your right, a few articles I found mention U.S,.allies....

The U.N. announced Thursday the launch of its investigation into targeted killings carried out by the U.S. and its allies

www.salon.com...

According to the U.K.-based Bureau of Investigative Journalism, not only will the U.N. team examine drone strikes in Pakistan and Yemen, but also “drone strikes by U.S. and U.K. forces in Afghanistan, and by Israel in the Occupied Territories. In total some 25 strikes are expected to be examined in detail.”

The U.S. will probably be obstructive and unhelpful with this investigation.

It's a complete disgrace that the U.S. government is able to launch these terrorist strikes upon people with complete impunity.

Yes they are terrorist strikes. The disgusting so called "double-tap" strikes whereby rescue parties are also deliberately targeted is a war crime.

It's fairly clear that the majority of the time they've no idea who they're killing and they probably don't care too much because they know they just have free reign to get away with it.

Read this article from Der Spiegel where a former pilot recounts his experiences piloting drones.

There was a flat-roofed house made of mud, with a shed used to hold goats in the crosshairs, as Bryant recalls. When he received the order to fire, he pressed a button with his left hand and marked the roof with a laser. The pilot sitting next to him pressed the trigger on a joystick, causing the drone to launch a Hellfire missile. There were 16 seconds left until impact.

"These moments are like in slow motion," he says today. Images taken with an infrared camera attached to the drone appeared on his monitor, transmitted by satellite, with a two-to-five-second time delay.

With seven seconds left to go, there was no one to be seen on the ground. Bryant could still have diverted the missile at that point. Then it was down to three seconds. Bryant felt as if he had to count each individual pixel on the monitor. Suddenly a child walked around the corner, he says.

Second zero was the moment in which Bryant's digital world collided with the real one in a village between Baghlan and Mazar-e-Sharif.

Bryant saw a flash on the screen: the explosion. Parts of the building collapsed. The child had disappeared. Bryant had a sick feeling in his stomach.

"Did we just kill a kid?" he asked the man sitting next to him.

"Yeah, I guess that was a kid," the pilot replied.

"Was that a kid?" they wrote into a chat window on the monitor.

Then, someone they didn't know answered, someone sitting in a military command center somewhere in the world who had observed their attack. "No. That was a dog," the person wrote.

Furthermore the United States has now set a dangerous precedent in the use of drones as evidenced by the fact that Japan and China are both increasing their drone capabilities in their dispute over the Islands in the East China Sea.

Although neither of them have launched any strikes the possibility for escalation certainly exists and the United States has no right to condem them in the event.

Originally posted by Kram09

Read this article from Der Spiegel where a former pilot recounts his experiences piloting drones.

Thanks for posting that account.

One thing, which probably deserves its own thread, how are these targeted
"terrorists" tracked?

I wonder if they have been chipped somehow?

reply to post by burntheships

One thing, which probably deserves its own thread, how are these targeted "terrorists" tracked?

I also have wondered what the criteria is for determining which of these people are members of the Taliban/Al Qaeda/Islamist Militants/Terrorists?

How are they identified? All those labels roll into one, there's hardly any distinction any more.

It seems each month there is a short article in the news about some militants being killed in a drone strike. The frightening thing is it's just become a normal thing now, which doesn't even cause anyone to bat an eyelid.

They are dangerous and bad because the government said so, therefore they deserved to be killed.

I hope the UN investigation (if it does make any headway) looks more closely into this issue.

reply to post by burntheships

I wonder if they have been chipped somehow?

I don't think it's a case of them being chipped. I think it's more a case of people just being slaughtered arbitrarily and the label of Taliban etc being put upon them to make it justified and credible.

reply to post by Kram09


This is what I was thinking of....
www.guardian.co.uk...

Would not surpise me in the least ....
The CIA used a doctor to help track "bin Laden" ( aka his stand in)

reply to post by Kram09


Wow that excerpt is pretty creepy... How can someone be so callous as to lie to the operators of the drones like that? Is that all so he can turn to his superiors in the Pentagon and say "Job well done."?

I really hope something comes of this UN investigation but we all know nothing will. The US will drag its feet until the UN forgets about it and then business will continue as usual. Actually check that, business will continue as usual up through and after this investigation is buried.