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UN SRCT Drone Inquiry

The Special Rapporteur began an inquiry in January 2013 with the aim of evaluating allegations that the use of remotely piloted aircraft, or drones, in extraterritorial lethal counter-terrorism operations (including in the context of asymmetrical armed conflict) has resulted in disproportionate levels of civilian casualties, and to make recommendations concerning the duty of States to conduct independent and impartial investigations.

The present report summarises the recent developments in civilian casualty rates resulting from the use of remotely piloted aircraft; presents the conclusions of the Special Rapporteur's review of 30 strikes in which civilian casualties were reportedly sustained; and makes recommendations to the Human Rights Council aimed at clarifying and promoting compliance with the relevant principles of international law, including international humanitarian and human rights law. The sample strike analysis is intended to provide a clear opportunity for the relevant States to fulfill their international legal obligations of transparency and accountability by making public the results of their own inquiries into the sample strikes identified. Where possible, with the assistance of a team of researchers the Special Rapporteur, direct evidence has been assembled on individual strikes.

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Ben Emmerson, The UN Special Rapporteur on Counter-Terrorism and Human Rights

Forensic Architecture in collaboration with SITU Research

Forensic Architecture Research Team:
Eyal Weizman (Principal Investigator); Susan Schuppli (Senior Research Fellow, Project Coordinator); Jacob Burns (Research Assistant); Steffen Kraemer (Researcher, Film Editor); Reiner Beelitz (Architectural Modelling); Francesco Sebregondi (Researcher); and Chris Cobb-Smith (Research Advisor)

SITU Research Team:
McKenna Cole; Akshay Mehra; Charles-Antoine Perrault; Bradley Samuels; and Xiaowei Wang

UNSRCT Team:
Amal Alamuddin, Philippa Webb, Annie O’Reilly, Jessica Dorsey, Sajid Suleman, Anna Bonini, Dawood Ahmed, Krista Nelson, Kristen Johnson and Matthew Oresman and all of their team at Patton Boggs, LLP, Peter Vedel Kessing, Michelle Lesh, Alon Margalit, Siavash Rahbari, Jessica Corsi, Lisa Hajjar, Eliav Lieblich, Mike Canada, Joshua Andresen, Ulrike Franke, Misa Zgonec-Rozej, John Jones QC, Todd Pierce and Colleen Rowley, Iain Morley, QC, Jasmine Zerinini, Pippa Woodrow, Ella Batchelor, Rehana Popal, Nathan Rasiah, James Edenborough, Sarika Arya, Alinda Vermeer, Bridget Prince, Chris Woods, Benedicte Diot, Johanna Hortolani, Blinne Ni Ghralaigh