Disgusting Drones and their Operators

Drone Strikes Very Much a Human Rights Issue By Martin Khor August 8, 2012 The use of drones by one state to kill people in other countries is fast emerging as an international human rights issue of serious public concern. This was evident in the recent session (June 18-July 6, 2012) of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, both in the official meetings and in NGO seminars. The use of drones, or pilotless aircraft operated by remote control, by the government in one country to strike at persons and other targets in other countries, has been increasingly used by the United States, in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Yemen and Somalia. Instead of following clear legal standards, the practice of drone attacks has become a vaguely defined and unaccountable "license to kill", according to a 2010 report of a UN human rights special rapporteur. According to an article in The Guardian, the American Civil Liberties Union estimates that as many as 4,000 people have been killed in U.S. drone strikes since 2002. Of those, a significant proportion were civilians. The numbers killed have escalated significantly since Obama became president.                                read on...