A federal court on Monday released a previously secret government memo outlining the legal justification for the 2011 killing of Anwar al-Awlaki, a U.S. citizen and accused al-Qaeda operative, in a drone strike in Yemen.
The document was released under order of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit in New York and provides the most detailed explanation to date for the legal reasoning behind Awlaki’s killing. Its disclosure also represents a significant capitulation by the Obama administration, which fought for years to keep the memo — as well as many other aspects of its targeted-killing program — secret from the public.
More @ The Washington Post
I will shed no tear for the death of Anwar al-Awlaki. He was however an American citizen. For the government to think it can order the assassination of a citizen scares the hell out of me. I am not saying there should not be some method to make a citizen a target. The government should not just be able to order the killing. An open trial in front of say the Supreme Court with an open verdict calling for the death penalty.
ReplyDeleteBadger
No different than being tried and found guilty 'in absentia' just the same as if they skipped bond; but the (public) trial and verdict on constitutional grounds is at the very least absolutely, inalienably necessary, no secret evidence or secret courts or simple executive orders Ever.
ReplyDeleteYes, agreed II.
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