Towards a European Position on the Use of Armed Drones? A Human Rights Approach

On 17 October, the report ‘Towards a European Position on the Use of Armed Drones? A Human Rights Approach’, authored by ICCT (associate) fellows Christophe Paulussen, Jessica Dorsey and Bérénice Boutin, was launched in the context of the UN General Assembly 1st Committee’s (disarmament) deliberations in New York. The report presents and builds on the outcomes of an April 2016 expert meeting on human rights implications of the use of armed drones, at which a number of issues highlighted in a previous ICCT paper surveying European Union Member States’ positions on armed drones and targeted killing were discussed. The report examines targeted killings in light of human rights law; the precise requirements of transparency, oversight and accountability; and European countries’ human rights obligations when assisting other countries in drone strikes, e.g., through intelligence sharing. The authors’ conclusions include observations on the need for and possible ways to attain information, challenges for the use of armed drones generally, and legal challenges and recommendations.

Read the Report.

How to cite: Paulussen, C., Dorsey, J. and B. Boutin. "Towards a European Position on the Use of Armed Drones? A Human Rights Approach”, The International Centre for Counter-Terrorism - The Hague (2016).

Photocredit: U.S. Air Force photo/Lt Col Leslie Pratt