Britain\u00e2\u201e\u00a2s operating of killer drones in Afghanistan may be violating the international law, a legal firm representing peace campaigners has argued in an opinion piece.\n<\/p>\n
The legal opinion by Public Interest Lawyers argues that the use of killer drones in Afghanistan is a breach of the international law under the European Convention for Human Rights (ECHR).\n<\/p>\n
The document says that the ECHR\u00e2\u201e\u00a2s article 2 requires the governments to use \u00c5\u201cno more [force] than absolutely necessary\u201d during conflicts.\n<\/p>\n
“Only when it is absolutely necessary to kill someone rather than arrest\/disable them will the use of drones be lawful. And even then, drones may only be used for \u2026 self defence under 2(2)(c),\u201d it says.\n<\/p>\n
According to the Public Interest Lawyers, this means that the ECHR obliges Britain to the use of killer drones only in \u00c5\u201csituations in which there is an immediate threat to life\u201d that \u00c5\u201cprevents the carrying out of ‘targeted killings’ and narrowly circumscribes their use even on ‘the battlefield'”.\n<\/p>\n
“There is therefore a strong presumption that the UK’s drones programme is in breach of international law,\u201d it adds.\n<\/p>\n
The British Ministry of Defense announced back in April that they are operating killer drones in Afghanistan by remote-pilots from RAF Waddington base in Lincolnshire.\n<\/p>\n
The ministry claims its operations are in accordance with applicable international humanitarian law.\n<\/p>\n
This comes as drone attacks normally come with extreme \u00c5\u201ccollateral damage\u201d to the civilian population even when taking the American and British claims that they are targeting terrorists by terror drones as true.\n<\/p>\n
Hundreds of civilians have been killed the remote-controlled killer drones strikes on various parts of Afghanistan over the past years.\n<\/p>\n
Civilians\u00e2\u201e\u00a2 casualties have triggered widespread protests against killer drone attacks in the Asian country with the Afghan government repeatedly calling for an end to the deadly assaults.\n<\/p>\n
AMR\/HE<\/p>\n