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USA verletzen Völkerrecht bei Drohneneinsatz in Pakistan

Auch deutsche Bundesregierung muss mögliche Kooperation offenlegen *

22.10.2013 - Die USA haben beim Einsatz bewaffneter Drohnen in Pakistan immer wieder Völkerrecht gebrochen. Das bestätigt ein umfassender Bericht von Amnesty International. Bei einigen Angriffen kann es sich sogar um Kriegsverbrechen handeln. "Mit dem strikt geheim gehaltenen Drohnenprogramm gibt sich die USA eine Lizenz zum Töten, die menschenrechtliche Standards und das Völkerrecht vollkommen ignoriert", sagt die Asienexpertin der deutschen Sektion von Amnesty International Verena Harpe.

Amnesty-Mitarbeiter haben alle 45 Drohnenangriffe überprüft, die zwischen Januar 2012 und August 2013 aus dem schwer zugänglichen Nordwaziristan bekannt geworden sind. Neun Fälle wurden umfassend aufgearbeitet. Der Bericht belegt eindrücklich, dass die Zivilbevölkerung in der Unruheregion in ständiger Angst vor den Einsätzen lebt: Im Oktober 2012 wurde beispielsweise eine 68-jährige Großmutter vor den Augen ihrer Enkel getötet, mit denen sie auf dem Feld arbeitete. Die Kinder wurden bei einem zweiten Schlag schwer verletzt. Im Juli 2012 trafen US-Drohnen 18 Männer, die sich nach ihrem Arbeitstag zum Abendessen zusammengesetzt hatten. Sie wurden in den anschließenden offiziellen Berichten als militante Kämpfer bezeichnet - nach Erkenntnissen von Amnesty handelte es sich um Dorfbewohner, die keinerlei Bedrohung darstellten.

"Die US-Regierung übernimmt nicht die Verantwortung für bestimmte Angriffe. Das heißt auch, dass Opfer und Hinterbliebene nicht zu ihrem Recht kommen können", sagt Harpe. Besonders perfide ist die Praxis, einem ersten Drohnenangriff kurz darauf den nächsten folgen zu lassen, der dann diejenigen Menschen trifft, die den Verletzten helfen wollten. Präsident Obama hatte im Mai angekündigt, für das Drohnenprogramm klarere Regeln und mehr Transparenz zu schaffen. Das geltende Recht sollte eingehalten, Fehler eingestanden werden. Bis heute sind diese Ankündigungen leere Versprechen, kritisiert Amnesty. Die USA setzen die Praxis der geheimen Angriffe fort und brechen dabei regelmäßig das Völkerrecht.

Auf diese Tatsache müssen auch die Bündnispartner der USA endlich reagieren. Die Bundesregierung verließ sich bisher auf die Selbstauskunft der USA, das Völkerrecht werde eingehalten. Sie lieferte der CIA sogar Daten wie Handy-Nummern von späteren Drohnen-Opfern. "Die Bundesregierung muss endlich öffentlich einfordern, dass auch die USA sich an das geltende Recht halten. Deutsche Behörden dürfen die rechtswidrigen Drohnenangriffe der USA nicht auch noch unterstützen", sagt Maria Scharlau, Völkerrechtsexpertin bei Amnesty International.

* Website von amnesty international, 22. Oktober 2013; http://www.amnesty.de

Schlussfolgerungen aus dem Bericht:

9. CONCLUSION

Uncertainty remains about each of the drone attacks Amnesty International has examined in this report. Who were the intended targets? Why were they attacked? What legal framework was applied by those planning and executing the attacks? Most of this uncertainty arises from the US authorities’ deliberate policy of refusing to disclose information or even acknowledge responsibility for particular attacks.

What is certain from Amnesty International’s research, however, is that the cases in this report raise serious concerns that the USA has unlawfully killed people in drone strikes, and that such killings may amount in some cases to extrajudicial executions or war crimes and other violations of international humanitarian law. Like other forces operating in the Tribal Areas, the USA appears to be exploiting the lawless and remote nature of the region to evade accountability for its violations.

Amnesty International recognizes that some US drone strikes may not violate human rights or international humanitarian law. But it is impossible to reach any firm assessment without a full disclosure of the facts surrounding individual attacks and their legal basis. The USA must provide evidence to prove that drone strikes comply with international human rights law and where applicable international humanitarian law, including in the specific cases documented in this report.

The USA’s assertion that it is engaged in an ongoing, global armed conflict against al-Qa’ida and associated forces has deeply troubling implications for human rights and the rule of law. It appears to be an attempt to license the use of intentional lethal force when it is not strictly unavoidable to protect life. Even where drone strikes are used in actual armed conflicts, statements by the US administration raise concerns as to whether basic concepts of international humanitarian law are being respected. Suggestions that affiliation with an armed group is a sufficient basis for being targeted, together with the lack of clarity on which groups are considered “associated forces” leave a very wide scope for targeting individuals on impermissible grounds. The practice of “signature strikes” appears prone to violating the presumption of civilian status. And secondary (or rescuer) strikes appear to violate the prohibition of targeting the injured, those who are hors de combat, and medical personnel.

US policy and practice on targeted killings and drones are not only of concern in their own right: they also set a dangerous precedent that other states may seek to exploit to avoid responsibility for their own unlawful killings. If unchecked there is a real risk that the continued use of drones by the USA and an increasing number of other states will further corrode the foundations of the international framework for the protection of human rights.

As documented in this report, scores of witnesses and relatives of victims told Amnesty International of killings that have left deep scars on a population already traumatized by deadly attacks by al-Qa’ida, the Taliban and Pakistan armed forces. As drone victim Mamana Bibi’s son Rafiqul Rehman told Amnesty International, “We pray peace can be restored to our country and people and end this mess and bloodshed but up til now there has been no end in sight.” As a ubiquitous presence in the skies of North Waziristan, drones have created significant fear among the population. The people of North Waziristan also face significant threats for speaking out about drone strikes, whether they kill members of armed groups or residents not engaged in attacks against the USA or its allies. The absence of any formal, public recognition of strikes, or avenues for victims to access justice or effective reparation further compound the suffering of the victims and their families. It also sends them the signal that the USA considers itself above the rule of law and accountability.

The Pakistani authorities have also failed to protect the rights of those affected by drones, be it their right to life, or access to justice and effective reparation. While the government of Pakistan publicly opposes the US drone program, Amnesty International is concerned that elements of the state or individual officials continue to cooperate in strikes that may constitute human rights violations.

The Pakistani authorities have a poor record of providing medical and other assistance to victims and their communities. There is little transparency about how the Pakistani authorities respond to drone strikes. Evidence suggests that the state closely monitors drone strikes, despite direct claims to Amnesty International that they are unable to do this. Moreover, victims and affected communities say that the authorities do not proactively seek to assist them following strikes, but expect the victims to initiate contact.

The authorities of all states who assist the USA in carrying out drone strikes in Pakistan, including those of Pakistan, must carry out independent and impartial investigations into any organs or officials implicated in involvement in US drone strikes that may constitute human rights violations. Amnesty International also calls on all states, including Australia, Germany and the UK, to refrain from participating in any way in US drone strikes conducted in violation of the relevant rules of international law and instead to urge compliance by the USA with its international obligations.

The long-suffering people of North Waziristan and the rest of the Tribal Areas deserve to enjoy the same human rights as everyone else, not least the right to life – the foundation for all human rights. By hiding behind arguments of secrecy and exploiting the difficulty in confirming details of specific strikes due to the lawlessness, remoteness and insecurity of Pakistan’s Tribal Areas, the USA is contributing to the litany of violations and abuses endured by a population that has been both neglected and assaulted by their own state and victimized by al-Qa’ida, the Taliban and other armed groups. The ultimate tragedy is that the drone aircraft the USA deploys over Pakistan now in still the same kind of fear in the people of the Tribal Areas that was once associated only with al-Qai’da and the Taliban. The USA can and must alleviate their suffering by opening up the secretive and unaccountable drone program to public scrutiny and ensuring any individuals responsible for human rights violations are brought to justice in fair trials without recourse to the death penalty. The USA and Pakistan must also ensure the victims of violations documented in this report have access to justice and redress.

“WILL I BE NEXT?” US DRONE STRIKES IN PAKISTAN, ed. by amnesty international, London 2013; http://www.amnestyusa.org/sites/default/files/asa330132013en.pdf




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