Secret 'Kill Lists' Fly in the Face of US and Int'l Law (William Fisher)

Aug. 31, 2010 -- NEW YORK (Inter Press Service) -- Two of the nation's most influential human rights organisations have filed a lawsuit challenging the government's authority to carry out "targeted killings" of U.S. citizens located far from any armed conflict zone.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) charge that the authority contemplated by the Obama administration is far broader than what the Constitution and international law allow.

The organisations claim that, "outside of armed conflict, both the Constitution and international law prohibit targeted killing except as a last resort to protect against concrete, specific, and imminent threats of death or serious physical injury. An extrajudicial killing policy under which names are added to CIA and military 'kill lists' through a secret executive process and stay there for months at a time is plainly not limited to imminent threats."

The CCR and the ACLU were retained by Nasser al-Awlaki to bring the lawsuit in connection with the government's decision to authorise the targeted killing of his son, U.S. citizen Anwar al-Awlaki, whom the CIA and Defense Department have marked for death.

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