1.
The use of drones or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) has increasingly
posed serious threats to humanity, especially the right to life. The
UAVs, either controlled by “pilots” from the ground or autonomously
following a pre-programmed mission, can kill innocent civilians. Over
the past decade, the expanded use of drones has dramatically changed
warfare, bringing new humanitarian and legal challenges. The use of
drones has grown quickly in recent years because, unlike manned
aircraft, they now can stay in the air for many more hours than
previously. Additionally, they are much less expensive to operate than
military aircraft as they are flown remotely without a flight crew. It
is also extremely worrying that the UAV industry has been slowly growing
over the years. The fear is that the number of countries with the
capacity to use drones is likely to increase significantly in the near
future.
2. Now rapid advances in UAV technology are permitting
countries with high-tech militaries, including the United States of
America, Israel, Russia and the United Kingdom, to move towards systems
that would give full combat autonomy to machines. The use of UAVs, first
made operational in the Balkans war, has subsequently escalated in
Afghanistan, Iraq, Yemen, Somalia and most recently in Pakistan. Despite
arguments as to the benefits of the use of drones in reducing the risk
of military casualties, it has been consistently observed that drone
strikes are counter-productive, entail loss of innocent civilian lives
and have human rights and humanitarian implications. Such strikes also
set dangerous precedents in inter-state relations. As per international
law, the drone operations by any State that involve the use of force on
the territory of another State, without its consent, is a violation of a
country’s sovereignty.
3. Since 2004, the USA has been engaged
in an undeclared war in Pakistan against the suspected militants or
“terrorists”. Hundreds of missile attacks from unmanned aircraft have
been carried out against suspected militants, with the vast majority of
US drone strikes in Pakistan having taken place in North Waziristan. The
USA’s ongoing use of drones in Pakistan’s territory is a violation of
that nation's sovereignty, as it is being conducted without the consent
of the country’s legitimate government. As Pakistan categorically has
stated that it does not consent to the use of drones by the United
States on its territory, this is a violation of Pakistan's sovereignty
and territorial integrity. Pakistan has been expressing its fears that
the drone campaign would ultimately be counter-productive, as it would
further contribute to radicalizing a whole new generation and thereby
perpetuating the problem of terrorism in the country and in the region.
4.
A report of the United Nation’s Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial
summary or arbitrary executions focused on lethal autonomous robots and
the protection of life, observed that “drones enable a State to perform
targeted killing without exercising effective control over territory and
without having the individual in custody.” The report further observed,
“the use of drones by States to exercise essentially a global policing
function to counter potential threats presents a danger to the
protection of life.” When drones enable a State to perform targeted
killing without effective control over territory, such targeting can
result in killing innocent people, which is a violation of the right to
life. While taking note of the report of the Special Rapporteur, the UN
General Assembly adopted a resolution in December 2013 and urged the
international community to observe international laws with regard to the
use of remotely piloted aircraft. The resolution also noted the
recommendations, including the urgent and imperative need to seek
agreement among Member States on legal questions pertaining to remotely
piloted aircraft operations. UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon speaking
at the National University of Science and Technology, Islamabad,
Pakistan (13 August 2013) stated that “the use of armed drones – like
any other weapons should be subject to long-standing rules of
international law, including international humanitarian law. Every
effort should be made to avoid mistakes and civilian causalities”. It is
widely recognized that a significant challenge to assessing the
legality of US drone strikes in Pakistan or other countries is due
mainly to the uncertainty about which set of international law or
standards should be applied.
5. The use of drones ultimately
kills people and denies their right to life. The right to life is a
moral principle based on the belief that a human being has the right to
live and, in particular, should not to be unjustly killed by another
human being. It is also our firm belief that the measures taken by any
State threatening the life and dignity of the human person cannot be
justified. In this context, the use of extraterritorial force within
another State’s territory and sovereignty cannot be justified when it
threatens the life of innocent people. We believe the sanctity of life
and the biblical message call us to protect the right to life; deliver
those who are drawn toward death, and hold back those stumbling to the
slaughter (Proverbs 24:11).
It is in this context that the World
Council of Churches expresses its deep concern about the targeted
killings by drones carried out in different countries.
The executive committee of the World Council of Churches, meeting at Bossey, Switzerland, from 7 to 12 February 2014, therefore:
*
Condemns drone strikes by any country, especially the unlawful policies
and practices of the use of lethal force against terrorism;
*
Affirms the WCC’s conviction that every person is made in the image and
likeness of God, and hence every human life is sacred and has an
inherent dignity;
* Urges all States using drones to be transparent
about the development, acquisition and use of drones and publically
disclose the legal basis for the use of drones, exercising operational
responsibility;
* Calls on States where armed drones are used to
respect and recognize the duty to protect the right to life of their
subjects and oppose the violation of human rights and principles of
international humanitarian law by foreign powers;
* Urges the international community to oppose the unlawful policies and practices, particularly of US Drone strikes in Pakistan;
*
Requests that the international community refrain from transfers of
drones weapons that can be used to commit serious violations of
international human rights law and international humanitarian law;
*
Urges the US government to ensure justice for victims of unlawful drone
strikes, including family members of the victims of unlawful killings,
and to avail effective access to remedies, especially restitution,
compensation to families of civilians killed or injured, and adequate
protection for their rehabilitation;
* Believes that it is our duty
to speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of
all who are destitute, to speak up and judge fairly, to defend the
rights of the poor and needy (Proverbs 31:8-9).
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