Armed drones and the use of lethal force: New technologies and known challenges
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21615/cesder.8.1.2Abstract
The use of armed drones has increased exponentially over the past 15 years; this article considers the legality of armed drones in international law.
The legal framework governing the use of armed drones depends on the context in which they are deployed. In armed conflicts the rules governing their use are found in international humanitarian law, if drones are used for law enforcement their use is governed by relevant domestic and international human rights law. We will explore the compatibility of the use of armed drones with both these legal frameworks.
There are no reported cases of Colombia using armed drones but, given their proliferation globally, it is likely that the technology will be adopted. Regardless of when and whether that happens, this article considers the legal challenges presented by drones and applies them to the situation in Colombia.
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Sims, A. (9 Julio 2016). The Consecuences of Global Armed Drone Proliferation. The Diplomat.
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Wheeler, W. (29 Febrero 2012). Finding the Right Targets. Time.
Whitlock, C. (20 Julio 2013). US Military Drone Surveillance is Expanding to Hot Spots Beyond Declared Combat Zones. The Washington Post.
Zenko, M. (5 Julio 2016). Do Not Believe the U.S. Government's Official Numbers on Drone Strike Civilian Casualties, It's Way Too Low. Foreign Policy.
Alston, P. (2010). Report of the Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions. ONU , Asamblea General. New York: ONU.
Anderson, K. (2011). Targeted Killing and Drone Warfare: How We Came to Debate Whether There Is A 'Legal Geography Of War'. Washington College of Law.
Barela, S. J. (2015). The Question of 'Imminence': A Historical View on Anticipatory Attacks. En S. J. Barela (Ed.), Legitimacy and Drones, Investigating the Legality, Morality and Efficacy of UCAVs. Ashgate Publishing Ltd.
Berger, S. (13 Agosto 2015). Mexico Drug Trafficking Drone Carries 28 Pounds of Heroin Across Border to US. International Business Times.
Brumfield, E. (2014). Armed Drones for Law Enforcement: Why it Might be Time to Re-Examine the Current Use of Force Standard. Mc George Law Review, 46, 543.
Byman, D. (2013). Why Drones Work: The Case for Washington's Weapons of Choice. Foreign Affairs, 92, 32.
Center for Civilians in Conflict. (s.f.). The Civilian Impact of Drones: Unexamined Costs, Unanswered Questions. Columbia Law School Human Rights Clinic, Center for Civilians in Conflict.
Chatham House. (s.f.). Principles of International Law on the Use of Force in Self-Defence. London: Chatham House.
CICR. (Marzo 2008). How is the Term Armed Conflict Defined in International Humanitarian Law. ICRC Opinion Paper.
CICR. (2010). Guía para Interpretar la Noción de Participación Directa en Hostilidades según el Derecho Internacional Humanitario. (N. Melzer, Ed.)
Colon, C. R. (2015). Correcting the Record: Civilians, Proportionality, and Jus ad Vim. En S. J. Barela (Ed.), Legitimacy and Drones, Investigating the Legality, Morality and Efficacy of UCAVS. Fareham: Ashgate Publishing Ltd.
Crawford, Emily y Lewis, Michael W. (2013). Drones and Distinction: How IHL Encouraged the Rise of Drones. Georgetown Journal of International Law, 44, 1127-1166.
El Caso de Asesinatos Selectivos en Pakistan (Fiscalia General de la Republica Federal de Alemania).
Estados Unidos 'Department of Justice'. (s.f.). Lawfulness of a Lethal Operation Directed Against a U.S. Citizen Who Is a Senior Operational Leader of Al-Qa'ida or An Associated Force.
Friedersdorf, C. (25 Setiembre 2012). Every Person is Afraid of the Drones’: The Strikes Effects on Life in Pakistan. The Atlantic.
Gasser, H.-P. (1993). International Humanitarian Law: An Introduction. En H. Haug (Ed.), Humanity for All: the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (págs. 510-511). Berne: Paul Haupt .
Gil, L. (9 Diciembre 2014). Global CST. El Tiempo.
Gladwell, M. (s.f.). Saigon 1965. Obtenido de Revisionist History: http://revisionisthistory.com/episodes/02-saigon-1965
Grzebyk, P. (2015). Who Can be Killed? Legal Targets in Non-International Armed Conflicts. En S. J. (ed), Legitimacy and Drones, Investigating the Legality, Morality and Efficacy of UCAVs. Farnham: Ashgate PublishingLtd.
Heyns, C. (2013). Informe del Relator Especial sobre Ejecuciones Extrajudiciales, Sumarias o Arbitrarias. Asamblea General de la ONU. ONU.
John Brennan, A. d. (11 de Setiembre de 2016). Strengthening Our Security by Adhering to Our Values and Laws.
Koh, H. H. (14 Mayo 2013). How to End the Forever War. Yale Global Online.
Kretzmer, D. (2013). The Inherent Right to Self-Defence and Proportionality in Jus ad Bellum. EJIL, 24(1), 235-282.
McCann and others v. United Kingdom, 18984/91 (European Court of Human Rights, 27 Setiembre 1995).
McNeal, G. S. (2012). Are Targeted Killings Unlawful? A Case Study in Empirical Claims Without Empirical Evidence. En J. D. Claire Finkelstein, Targeted Killing Law and Morality in an Asymmetrical World. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Middle East Monitor. (7 Abril 2016). Israeli Army Confirms Use of Hermes 450 Drones in Assassinations. Obtenido de https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20160407-israeli-army-document-confirms-use-of-hermes-450-drones-in-assassinations/
New York City Bar Committee on International Law. (2014). The Legality Under International Law of Targeted Killings by Drones Launched by the United States.
Nicaragua v. United States of America (International Court of Justice 1986).
Nolte, G. (2004). Preventative Use of Force and Preventative Killings: Moves into a Different Legal Order. Theoretical Inquiries in Law, 5, 111.
Nolte, G. (2011). Targeted Killing. Max Planck Encyclopaedia of Public International Law .
Opinión Consultiva de la Corte Internacional de Justicia sobre la Legalidad de la Amenaza o Empleo de Armas Nucleares (CIJ 1996).
Pejic, J. (Mayo 2015). Extraterritorial Targeting by Means of Armed Drones: Some Legal Implications . International Review of the Red Cross.
Poulain, N. y Groux, Natacha Farina. (2013). Synthesis on Drones. CICR.
Priest, D. (21 Diciembre 2013). Covert Action in Colombia. The Washington Post.
Public Committee Against Torture in Israel v. Government of Israel, HCJ 769/02 (Supreme Court of Israel 13 Diciembre 2006).
Public Library of US Diplomacy. (30 Mayo 2008). Air Mobility Key to Success in Colombia. Obtenido de Wikileaks: www.wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/08BOGOTA1988_a.html
Shanker, T., & Ritchell, M. (16 de Enero de 2011). In New Military, Data Overload Can be Deadly. New York Times.
Sharkey, N. (2012). Automated Warfare: Lessons Learned from Drones. Journal of Law, Information and Science, 8.
Sharkey, N. (12 Julio 2016). Are We Prepared for More Killer Robots? The Guardian.
Sifton, J. (7 Febrero 2012). A Brief History of Drones. The Nation.
Sims, A. (9 Julio 2016). The Consecuences of Global Armed Drone Proliferation. The Diplomat.
Szenat, F. y Bird, Annie (2012). Colombia. En E. Wilmhurst (Ed.), International Law and the Classification of Conflicts. Oxford University Press.
The Global Intelligence Files. (s.f.). Colombia Hostage Rescue: The Israeli Angle. Obtenido de Wikileaks: www.wikileaks.org/gifiles/docs/18/1810583 colombia-hostage-rescue-the-israeli-angle.html
Thielman, S. (8 Julio 2016). Use of Police Robot to Kill Dallas Shooting Suspect Believed to be First in US History. The Guardian.
Wheeler, W. (29 Febrero 2012). Finding the Right Targets. Time.
Whitlock, C. (20 Julio 2013). US Military Drone Surveillance is Expanding to Hot Spots Beyond Declared Combat Zones. The Washington Post.
Zenko, M. (5 Julio 2016). Do Not Believe the U.S. Government's Official Numbers on Drone Strike Civilian Casualties, It's Way Too Low. Foreign Policy.
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Published
2017-06-06
How to Cite
Sïmon Rushby, R. (2017). Armed drones and the use of lethal force: New technologies and known challenges. CES Derecho, 8(1), 22–47. https://doi.org/10.21615/cesder.8.1.2
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