Litigating the United States’ Secret Drone Program

April 4, 2013

Litigating the Drone Program in American Courts (March 28, 2013)

The U.S. government is engaged in a “secret” drone campaign that has already resulted in the deaths of some 4,700 people in Pakistan, Yemen, and Somalia alone. The CIA and Joint Special Operations Command maintain formal lists indicating which individuals they intend to kill. The CIA also carries out strikes aimed at groups of people whose identities the CIA does not know but whose actions or behavior conform to undisclosed “signatures.” The publicly available information about the program is troubling, and many crucial aspects of it remain shrouded in secrecy. Is it lawful? Is the secrecy surrounding it justified?

At a recent event, Open Society Fellow Jameel Jaffer discussed ongoing legal challenges to the program and to the government's refusal to release more information. Jaffer’s Fellowship project traces the erosion of individual privacy and the expansion of official secrecy since 9/11.

Listen above.

Topics

Freedom of Information, National Security and Counterterrorism

National Security and Human Rights

Rebuilding and Resilience: 20 Years Since 9/11

A woman standing at the September 11 memorial

On the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, Open Society shares reflections from partners on the road traveled since—and the hard work still ahead.

September 10, 2021 | Laleh Ispahani

Voices

No State Accountability for North Carolina Contractor Who Helped CIA Torture

While far too much of the CIA’s activities during the presidency of George W. Bush remains hidden from the public, a new report helps to fill the gap by taking a closer look at North Carolina’s involvement.

December 13, 2018 | Catherine Read

Event Recap

The History of American Islamophobia, from the 19th Century to the Trump Era

Khaled A. Beydoun’s new book charts Islamophobia in the United States and the ways anti-Muslim rhetoric is rooted in the country’s legal system.

October 31, 2018

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