Agnes Callamard, UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, has written a new report in which especially the issue of targeted killings through armed drones is addressed. In 2010, 2013 and 2014, former UN Special Rapporteurs Philip Alston and Christof Heyns initiated the legal discussions on the many concerns around state accountability for extrajudicial killings with armed drones in...

16 July, 2020 /

In November 2019, the Dutch parliament demanded the Ministry of Defence to investigate whether four MQ-9 Reapers, which the Netherlands will receive in early 2021, should be armed. In January 2020, State Secretary for Defence Barbara Visser wrote in a letter to parliament that the armament of the Reapers is “currently not on the agenda.” However, the Ministry of Defence does...

27 May, 2020 /

UN Secretary-General (UNSG) Antonio Guterres has raised concerns over the increased use of drones in targeted killings in his 2020 report on the Protection of Civilians; this is only the second time the impacts of drones have been addressed in the annual report since the first iteration 21 years ago. This year’s report underscores the urgent need for the international community...

22 May, 2020 /

This twice weekly roundup, curated by ReThink Media, looks at how the media is talking about drone warfare (and related topics) and what stories are being told. With little transparency from governments on this topic, this roundup aims to be as comprehensive as possible, identifying breaking news, trends, developing stories, or interesting narratives. Rethink Media also use media coverage to compile a...

09 April, 2020 /

During the UNGA in 2018, 16 States expressed concerns over armed drones in their statements, comparing with 7 States in 2017. This demonstrates a growing interest from States in addressing the challenges around armed drones use. Beyond the condemnation of current unacceptable practices, an international policy response is needed that addresses the role of drones in the use of force....

09 September, 2019 /