The law on lethal force begins with the right to life

In August 2015, the UK government intentionally killed a criminal suspect and the bystanders with him using a drone-launched Hellfire missile in Syria. In doing so, the UK violated the right to life of all three men because the UK had no lawful basis for deploying military force in Syria. Even if it...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal on the use of force and international law 2016-07, Vol.3 (2), p.205-209
Main Author: Ellen O'Connell, Mary
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
assassination
civil war
definition of armed conflict
drone
intervention by invitation
legal presumption of peace
prohibition on the use of force
right to life
self-defence
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Summary:In August 2015, the UK government intentionally killed a criminal suspect and the bystanders with him using a drone-launched Hellfire missile in Syria. In doing so, the UK violated the right to life of all three men because the UK had no lawful basis for deploying military force in Syria. Even if it did, international humanitarian law, governing the conduct of armed conflict, prohibits assassination - the intentional killing of an individual for reasons other than advancing a legitimate military objective. In any actual cases of ambiguity, the legal presumption in international law is with peace and protection of the right to life.
ISSN:2053-1702
2053-1710
DOI:10.1080/20531702.2016.1245467