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Armed drones attacks by states and non-state actors (insurgent groups) kill and injure civilians and take a high toll from communities. The victims don’t get justice. Transparency, accountability and oversight are urgently needed. In this section we provide legal instruments, cases, reports and scholarship, on accountability and the availability of reparations related to the use of drones.
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Drones Database

2014 | General Assembly Resolution on the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms while Countering Terrorism A/RES/68/178

2014 | General Assembly Human Rights Council Resolution Ensuring use of remotely piloted aircraft or armed drones in counterterrorism and military operations in accordance with international law - A/HRC/RES/25/22

2011 | General Assembly Resolution on the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms while Countering Terrorism A/RES/66/171

2001 | Article 16 Draft Articles on Responsibility of States for Internationally Wrongful Acts, 2001

2018 | European Parliament Resolution P8_TA-PROV(2018)0515 on the annual report on human rights and democracy in the world 2017 and the European Union’s policy on the matter

2018 | European Parliament Resolution P8_TA-PROV(2018)0383 on the Situation in Yemen

2018 | European Parliament Resolution P8_TA-PROV(2018)0312, Recommendations to the European Council

2018 | European Parliament Resolution P8_TA-PROV(2018)0342 on the state of EU-US relations (2017/2271(INI))

2015 | Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Resolution 2051 on Drones and Targeted Killings: the need to uphold human rights and international law

2014 | European Parliament Resolution on the Use of Armed Drones 2014/2567(RSP)

2019 | US National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020

2018 | EFAD Statement: Why Trump’s loosening of export rules needs a strong response

2017 | Pakistani Senate Resolution 372 demanding the U.S. to compensate for drone bombings

2016 | US Presidential Policy Guidance - redacted version

2016 | Executive Order 13732 of former President Barak Obama on the United States Policy on Pre-Strike and Post -Strike Measures to Address Civilian Casualties in U.S. Operations Involving the Use of Force.

2014 | Balochistan Civilian Victims of Terrorism (Relief and Rehabilitation) Act 2014

2019 | Federal Republic of Germany Higher Administrative Court of Appeal Nordrhein-Westfalen, Somali plaintiff vs Federal Republic of Germany

2019 | Federal Republic of Germany Higher Administrative Court for the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, Faisal bin Ali Jaber et al vs Federal Government of Germany

2017 | The Netherlands Somali drone victims vs State of the Netherlands

2016 | Federal Republic of Germany Administrative Court of Cologne, Somali plaintiff vs Federal Republic of Germany

2015 | Federal Republic of Germany Administrative Court of Cologne, Faisal bin Ali Jaber et al vs Federal Republic of Germany

2014 | United Kingdom Court of Appeal, The Queen on the Application of Noor Kahn vs The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs

2012 | United Kingdom High Court of Justice, The Queen on the Application of Noor Khan vs The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs

2012 | European Court of Human Rights, El Masri vs former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

2021 | Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, Aziz Al Ameri vs The Government of the United States of America

2018 | US District Court of Colombia, Zaidan and Kareem et al vs Donald J. Trump et al

2017 | US Court of Appeals, Faisal bin Ali Jaber et al vs United States of America et al

2016 | US District Court of Colombia, Faisal bin Ali Jaber et al vs United States of America

2014 | US District Court of Colombia, Al-Aulaqi et al vs Panetta et al

2010 | US District Court of Colombia, Al-Aulaqi vs Obama et al

2013 | Pakistan Peshawar High Court, Malik Noor Khan vs Federation of Pakistan

2022 | Reprieve statement on ‘Targeted Killing’ and the Rule of Law: The Legal and Human Costs of 20 Years of U.S. Drone Strikes

2019 | Open Society European Policy Institute; Armed Drones in Europe

2019 | Amnesty International; The Hidden US War in Somalia – Civilian Casualties from Airstrikes in Lower Shabelle

2018 | Oxford Research Group; Defining Remote Warfare: Intelligence Sharing After 9/11

2018 | Amnesty International; Deadly Assistance – The Role of European States in US Drone Strikes

2017 | Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom Humanitarian & International Disarmament Institute; The Humanitarian Impact of Drones

2017 | European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights; Litigating Drone Strikes - Challenging the Global Network of Remote Killing

2017 | Columbia Law School Human Rights Clinic & Sana’a Center for Strategic Studies; Out Of the Shadows

2016 | H. Moynihan; Aiding and Assisting: Challenges in Armed Conflict and Counterterrorism

2015 | Open Society Foundations; Death by Drone - Civilian Harm Caused by U.S. Targeted Killings in Yemen

2015 | Foundation for Fundamental Rights; Do We Not Bleed? International Failure to Redress Pakistani Victims of US Drone Strikes

2014 | Open Society Foundations; After the Dead are Counted: U.S. and Pakistani Responsibilities to Victims of Drone Strikes

2013 | Amnesty International; Will I be Next? US Drone Strikes in Pakistan

2018 | United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs; Securing our Common Future – An Agenda for Disarmament

2017 | UNIDIR; Increasing Transparency, Oversight and Accountability of Armed Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

2014 | Human Rights Council; Summary of the interactive panel discussion of experts on the use of remotely piloted aircraft or armed drones in compliance with international law (A/HRC/28/38)

2014 | Human Rights Council; Draft Resolution Ensuring Use of Remotely Piloted Aircraft or Armed Drones in Counter-Terrorism & Military Operations in Accordance with International Law A/HRC/28/L.32

2013 | General Assembly; Protecting human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism (A/68/298)

2010 | Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism; Ten Areas of Best Practices in Countering Terrorism (A/HRC/16/51)

2010 | Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions; Study on targeted killings (A/HRC/14/24/Add.6)

2021 | Misidentified target causes deaths of innocent Kabul residents in U.S. drone strike of 29 August 2021

2021 | France's Shadow War in Mali: Airstrikes at the Bounti Wedding, Report by Stoke White Investigations

2019 | Pentagon; Statement Acknowledging Civilian Casualties in Drone Strike Conducted in Somalia

2019 | Pentagon; Review of Civilian Casualties resulting from United States operations in areas of operation under US Africa Command and under the US Central Command between 2015 and 2017

2018 | CTIVD; Toezichtsrapport no. 60 - De wegingsnotities van de AIVD en de MIVD voor de internationale samenwerking met de Counter Terrorism Group- en sigint-partners

2018 | African Commission on Human & Peoples’ Rights; Concluding Observations relating to the 14th Periodic Report of Niger (2014-2016) on the Implementation of the African Charter of Human and Peoples’ Rights’

2017 | Review Committee on the Intelligence and Security Services; Annex IV to Report no. 56. Expert Report Legal Basis for Multilateral Information Exchange

2017 | European Parliament Subcommittee on Human Rights; Towards an EU Common Position on The Use of Armed Drones

2017 | Commissie van Toezicht op de Inlichtingen- en Veiligheidsdiensten (CTIVD); Bijlage IV bij Rapport 56, Deskundigenbericht Juridische grondslag multilaterale informatie-uitwisseling

2016 | Review Committee on the Intelligence and Security Services Review; Review Report Contributions of the MIVD to Targeting, CTIVD no. 50

2016 | CTIVD; Toezichtsrapport over bijdragen van de MIVD aan Targeting, CTIVD no. 50

2015 | Presidential Statement; Remarks on the Deaths of Warren Weinstein and Giovanni Lo Porto by former US President Barack Obama

2015 | EOS Committee; Making International Intelligence Cooperation Accountable

2015 | Council of Europe, Commissioner for Human Rights; Democratic and Effective Oversight of National Security Services

2010 | U.S. Department of Justice, Memorandum for the Attorney General; Applicability of Federal Criminal Law and the Constitution to Contemplated Lethal Operations Against Shaykh Anwar al-Aulaqi (“US Drones Memo”)

2019 | L. Gervasoni; Overflying Justiciability? Drones and Avoidance Doctrines Before National Courts, Use and Misuse of New Technologies

2018 | L. Beinlich; Access Granted, Access Barred: Exploring the Interplay of Human Rights and States’ Domestic Liability Regimes in the Context of Individual Reparation Claims, Max Plack Institute for International Law Research Paper Series, no. 2018-19

2017 | S. Krebs; Rethinking Targetted Killings Policy, Florida State University Law Review, Vol. 44 (3)

2017 | L. Wexler and J.K. Robbennolt; Designing Amends for Lawful Civilian Casualties, Yale Journal of International Law, Vol. 42 (1)

2017 | J.L. Corsi, Drone Deaths Violate Human Rights: The Applicability of the ICCPR to Civilian Deaths Caused by Drones, International Human Rights Law Review, Vol. 6

2016 | J. Andresen; Due Process of War in the Age of Drones, Yale Journal of International Law, Vol. 41 (1)

2016 | Christof Heyns et al; The International Law Framework Regulating The Use Of Armed Drones, International and Comparative Law Quarterly, Vol. 65

2016 | C. Meloni; State and Individual Responsibility for Targeted Killings by Drones, Drones and Responsibility: Legal, Philosophical, and Sociotechnical Perspectives on Remotely Controlled Weapons

2015 | M. Shahzad Akbar, U. Gilani; Fire From the Blue Sky - Drone Attack Victims From Pakistan, Their Voice and Their Struggle, Sur International Journal on Human Rights, SUR no. 22

2015 | K. Chen; Invisible Victims of Drone Strikes in Afghanistan, Peace Review Journal of Social Justice, Vol. 27 (4)

2015 | A. Buchanan & R.O. Keohane; Toward a Drone Accountability Regime, Symposium: Toward a Drone Accountability Regime

2014 | Q. Eijkman & M. Bakker, The Bare Minimum! Access to an Effective Remedy and Reparations for Civilian Victims of Armed Drone Strikes, Security and Human Rights, Vol. 25 (4)

2014 | L. Wexler; The Role of the Judicial Branch during the Long War: Drone Courts, Damage Suits, and FOIA Requests, Applying International Humanitarian Law in Judicial and Quasi -Judicial Bodies – International and Domestic Aspects