The United States must demonstrate that it is not randomly killing people

[bigtree]

Tue Oct 27, 2009 5:33pm

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United States must demonstrate that it is not randomly killing people in violation of international law through its use of unmanned drones on the Afghan border, a U.N. rights investigator said on Tuesday.

Philip Alston, a U.N. special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, also said the U.S. refusal to respond to U.N. concerns that the use of pilotless drones might result in illegal executions was an "untenable" position.

Alston, who is appointed by the U.N. Human Rights Council, said his concern over drones, or predators, had grown in the past few months as the U.S. military prominently used the weapons in the rugged border area between Afghanistan and Pakistan where fighting against insurgents has been heavy.

"What we need is for the United States to be more up front and say, 'OK we're prepared to discuss some aspects of this program,'" the Australian law professor told reporters.

"Otherwise you have the really problematic bottom line, which is that the Central Intelligence Agency is running a program that is killing significant numbers of people and there is absolutely no accountability in terms of the relevant international laws," he said.

read: http://www.reuters.com/article/gc05/idUSTRE59Q51220091027

[Sinti]

1. I'm kind of amazed this got printed here - they must be loosening the noose

Isn't that the MO for the CIA, though the whole "randomly killing people in violation of international law" thing?

[bigtree]

3. heh

Alston's spoken out about U.S. killings before - about the detention deaths. He's obviously not afraid of U.S. spooks.

[Sinti]

5. Too bad we can't get this spoken loudly on CNN, Faux News, and MSNBC n/t

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

2. Not necessary. They alread have a supply of mouthpieces to express "regrets".

[bigtree]

4. Karzai today

. . . expressing regrets over the helicopter deaths. What a shame.

[gratuitous]

6. The U.S. doesn't do that . . .

We just like to boss other countries around, and make them do endless apologies and public regrets about things they did decades ago. Our own, more recent, atrocities? Mum's the word on that! But let's hear a little more groveling for forgiveness from the Germans or the Japanese, eh?

[dschis]

7. Hell, we kill our own people here

Just look at the health care fight. How many people that you know won't feed a homeless person.

[ThomCat]

8. The official US position under both Bush and Obama seems to be

that the CIA is above the law and cannot be investigated as long as the government can do anything to prevent it. :(

[bigtree]

9. almost immediately

. . . he folded into the military and intelligence establishment, ready and willing to fight to keep their most incriminating secrets from becoming public. Such a shame.