w
Provide complete reparation to victims of American strikes and/on
their dependents.
17 October 2013
The use of drones by the USA to commit targeted assassinations in
Yemen should be considered, and qualified, as extrajudicial
executions.
Geneva/Sanaa - Since the first strike in November 2002, the United
States has carried out between 134 and 234 military operations in
Yemen in its alleged 'war on terror'. These include strikes by
aircraft and drones as well as missiles launched from warships located
in the Gulf of Aden. Estimates of the number of people killed as a
result of these 'targeted killings' range from 1000to 2000. Although
neither the Yemeni nor the American authorities have put forward
official statistics on the number of casualties, the percentage of hit
targets, e.g. 'al-Qaeda combatants and associates' killed is estimated
at 2%, the vast majority of the victims being civilians.
"Yemen - just like Pakistan - has become a testing ground for
revolutionary new methods of warfare, not only technically, but also
politically and legally.", said Karim Sayad, Alkarama Regional Legal
Officer for the Gulf.
The 94-page report "License to kill; why the American Drone War in
Yemen violates international law" released today presents the results
of Alkarama's field research and analysis on the US strategy in its
'war on terror' with respect to international, examines the reactions
of the US and Yemeni officials and civil society groups in light of
the serious violations committed.
This report is the result of several field investigations conducted
throughout Yemen in 2012 and 2013 by Mohamed Al-Ahmady, director of
Alkarama's office in Yemen in collaboration with Yemeni human rights
NGO Hood. The delegation went to several sites of drone attacks in
order to gather witness accounts and victim testimonies on these
strikes as well as information from the families and lawyers.
Interviews were also held with government officials and members of
civil society.
Yemen's current president Abd al-Rab Mansour al-Hadi, came to power in
February 2012 following a mass revolution by the Yemeni population. As
a national dialogue encompassing various Yemeni political groups is
underway since March 2013, al-Hadi has reinforced Yemen's ties with
the United States, placing large regions of Yemen territory at the
disposal of the US and encouraging its military intervention in the
country, including by attributing the responsibility of attacks to the
United States directly. This has increased tensions within the
population which does not support American air strikes.
Under the cover of counter-terrorism measures, the American
administration has involved itself directly in an multi-dimensional
internal conflict taking place between the central Yemeni authorities
and multiple opposition movements including armed groups of Jihadist
tendency - namely al-Qaeda and Ansar al-Sharia - but also the south
separatist movement and different tribes that contest the central
government's authority.
The United States has never declared war on Yemen, and instead refers
to the AUMF (Authorization to Use Military Force) resolution of
14September 2001 to justify their intervention in Yemen, despite the
fact that the Yemeni government is considered an ally and does not
represent a threat to the US. The AUMF sets out measures to combat
those with ties of any kind to the attacks of 11 September 2001. This
has been interpreted to include all those that are considered to be
"associated forces" of al-Qaeda, although this phrase does not appear
in the resolution itself. This term in fact first appeared in
President Obama's speeches and official White House texts and is used
to legitimize combat against groups whose ties with al-Qaeda are not
always clearly established.
"Regardless of the context in which the American intervention in Yemen
takes place, the American military and C.I.A continue to use drones,
other types of military aircraft as well as warships to commit
targeted assassinations that should be considered, and qualified, as
extrajudicial executions", said Karim Sayad. "Whether they hit
civilians or/and alleged al-Qaeda combatants and associates, US
targeted killings' policy in Yemen constitutes a blatant violation of
international human rights law."
In reality, the forces implicated also target unidentified combatants
who do not play a leadership role, who are anonymous and do not have
charges held against them. Civilians also suffer due to the human and
technical errors that American political and military leaders accept
as necessary collateral damage in the pursuit of their aims.
Recommendations to the American and Yemeni governments; to the United
Nations' Human Rights Council:
To the American government:
End extrajudicial executions and the practice of targeted killings by
drones and other military means;
Undertake independent and impartial inquiries and take legal measures
against those responsible for acts that have led to violations of the
right to life;
To the Yemeni government:
End all policy that undermines national sovereignty including
interventions into Yemeni airspace or on Yemeni soil by foreign armed
forces, as per article 48 of the constitution which sets out that "the
state shall guarantee to its citizens their personal freedom, preserve
their dignity and their security.";
Undertake independent and impartial inquiries and take legal measures
against those responsible for acts that have led to violations of the
right to life;
Take the necessary legislative measures to ban and criminalize the
practice of extrajudicial executions by drones and all other military
means.
To the United Nations' Human Rights Council:
Condemn the practice of extrajudicial executions committed by American
armed forces through a resolution adopted by the Human Rights Council
For more information, please contact Karim Sayad, Alkarama's Regional
Legal Officer for the Gulf region:
karim@alkarama.org; +41 22 734 10
07
→ Read the report
→ Download the report
Yémen/Etats-Unis: License to kill; Pourquoi la guerre des drones
américaine au Yémen viole le droit international
Alkarama, 17 Octobre 2013
Les assassinats ciblés dans la politique de lutte anti-terroriste
américaine, notamment par l'utilisation de drones, doivent être
considérés et qualifiés d'exécutions extrajudiciaires.
Genève/Sanaa - Depuis la première frappe aérienne en novembre
2002jusqu'au mois de juillet 2013, les Etats-Unis ont effectué entre
134 et 234 opérations militaires au Yémen dans le cadre de leur «
guerre contre le terrorisme ». Ces opérations comprennent des frappes
par avions, par drones ou l'envoi de missiles à partir de navires de
guerre stationnés dans le golfe d'Aden. Le nombre de morts causées par
ces frappes varie entre 1000 et 2000 selon les sources. Bien qu'à ce
jour ni les autorités yéménites, ni les autorités américaines n'aient
avancé de chiffres de décès, le pourcentage des cibles qui ont été
touchées, c'est-à-dire des « combattants d'Al-Qaida et forces
associées » tués est estimé à 2% ; la grande majorité des victimes
étant des civils.
« Le Yémen, après le Pakistan, est devenu un laboratoire des nouvelles
méthodes de guerre qui constituent une révolution sur le plan
technique, mais également politique et légal. », a déclaré Karim
Sayad, Responsable juridique à Alkarama pour la région du Golfe.
Le rapport de 90 pages « License to kill ; pourquoi la guerre des
drones américaine au Yémen viole le droit international » publié
aujourd'hui vise à présenter les résultats des recherches de terrain
effectuées par Alkarama, à analyser la stratégie américaine dans le
cadre de sa « guerre contre le terrorisme » à la lumière du droit
international et faire le point sur les réactions des Etats-Unis, des
autorités et de la société civile yéménites face à cette grave dérive.
Ce rapport est le résultat de plusieurs enquêtes sur le terrain menées
à travers tout le Yémen en 2012 et en 2013 par Mohamed Al-Ahmady, le
directeur du bureau au Yémen d'Alkarama en collaboration avec l'ONG
yéménite de défense des droits de l'homme HOOD. La délégation s'est
rendue sur plusieurs sites d'attaques de drones en vue de recueillir
des témoignages de victimes d'attaques, de leurs familles et avocats.
Alkarama a également pu mener des entretiens avec des représentants du
gouvernement et de la société civile yéménites.
L'Etat yéménite est dirigé depuis février 2012 par Abd al-Rab Mansour
al-Hadi qui a pris la relève de Ali Abdallah Saleh contraint, après 33
années de règne, à la démission par de spectaculaires révoltes
populaires. Alors que le pays est alors entré dans une phase de
transition avec un « dialogue national », engagé depuis mars 2013
entre différentes composantes politiques de la société yéménite,
l'actuel chef d'Etat s'engage fortement aux côtés des Etats-Unis
mettant à leur disposition le territoire et justifiant leur
intervention militaire, allant jusqu'à s'en attribuer la
responsabilité, ce qui exacerbe les tensions avec la population qui
exige un arrêt des frappes militaires américaines.
Sous couvert de lutte contre le terrorisme, l'administration
américaine s'immisce directement dans un conflit interne
multidimensionnel entre le pouvoir central yéménite et de multiples
mouvements d'opposition parmi lesquels des groupes armés de tendance
djihadiste - al-Qaida et Ansar al-Sharia - mais également le mouvement
sudiste et différentes tribus qui contestent sa légitimité.
Les Etats-Unis n'ont jamais déclaré de guerre au Yémen, et pour
justifier une intervention dans un pays qui ne représente aucun danger
pour eux et dont le gouvernement est considéré comme un allié, la
résolution du 14septembre 2001 dite AUMF (Authorization to Use
Military Force) qui préconisait clairement la lutte contre ceux liés
de près ou de loin aux attentats du 11 septembre 2001 a été élargie
pour s'appliquer sur ce qui dorénavant est désigné par « les forces
associées » à al-Qai
Yemen/USA: License to Kill; Why the #American #Drone War on #Yemen
Violates International Law - البيضـــاء نيـــوز
http://www.albaidanews.com/news.php?action=view&id=6325
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