Violence

On 24 January 2013, Ben Emmerson, the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism, launched a formal inquiry into the use of drones and other forms of targeted killing in counterterrorism operations. In his statement launching the inquiry, Emmerson (2013: 2) stated that the investigation was the result of requests by states in the UNHRC as well as ‘increasing international concern surrounding the issue of remote targeted killing through the use of UAVs [unmanned aerial vehicles]’. Emmerson’s investigation focused primarily on establishing whether or not drone strikes conform to international humanitarian law, or what was once called the ‘laws of war’. His efforts focus on 25 cases of drone strikes drawn from Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, Afghanistan and Palestine. The states using drone strikes in these areas that are the focus of the investigation are not named in his statement, but evidence suggests they will be focused primarily on the US and the UK, with the possible inclusion of Israel.