USCCB committee: Obama administration should be more transparent on drones
May 14, 2015
The chairman of the US bishops’ Committee on International Justice and Peace said in a letter to National Security Advisor Susan Rise that “more transparency” is needed in the Obama administration’s use of drones in its “targeted killing program.”
“Armed drones for targeted killings should be limited by international standards,” added Bishop Oscar Cantú.
“Using armed drones for targeted killings should be limited to those areas of intense, active, and protracted conflict where there have been declarations of war, where there is multilateral agreement that such action is needed to counter extreme violence being perpetrated on non-combatants, and when the target is a combatant who is likely soon to launch an attack,” he added. “Armed drones may be used outside of areas of open and protracted fighting if it is determined that the person targeted poses an imminent threat, if the use of lethal force is proportionate and there is no other means to prevent the threat to life (i.e. “last resort”), and if civilian casualties can be avoided as much as possible.”
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Further information:
- Bishops’ International Justice And Peace Committee Offers Policy Framework For Targeted Killing By Drones (USCCB)
- Full text (USCCB)
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