John B.
Quigley, professor of law at Ohio State University, says U.S. President Barack
Obama's rationale for the use of drones against other countries “is certainly not lawful”.
In a phone
interview with Press TV's U.S. Desk on Tuesday, Professor Quigley said there are
two scenarios with regard to U.S. drone campaign in Pakistan and other
countries: With the permission of the state and without the permission of the
state.
“Certainly doing it without the permission of
the state is a violation of the sovereignty of that state. But even if it is
with the permission of that state it is still a violation of the human rights of
the individuals involved,” he noted.
Professor
Quigley said similar to the administration of his predecessor, the Obama
administration uses the so-called “war on
international terrorism” as his rationale for the use of drones against other
countries. “That
is not generally acknowledged as a legitimate kind of conflict at the
international level,” he concluded.
President
Barack Obama on Monday confirmed for the first time that U.S. drone aircrafts
have struck Taliban and al-Qaeda targets within Pakistan.
An
extensive analysis by the London-based Bureau of Investigative Journalism in
August 2011 found that U.S. drone attacks killed as many as 775 civilians,
including at least 168 children since 2004. The report highlights that U.S.
drones strike Pakistan every four days.
HJ/DB