Abstract/Summary

Mr. Ben Emmerson is the UN Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms While Combatting Terrorism. In his March 2013 report to the UN General Assembly on “targeted killings”, Emmerson asks States to respond to a series of legal questions related to drone operations by next session of the UN Human Rights Council in September 2014. In the piece, Professor Schmitt examines each of the questions and the international law issues they raise. The work is designed to assist States in providing responses to Emmerson’s call and to provide a general overview of the contentious issues surrounding such operations.