Congressional Briefing on Drones: A Slippery Slope on Lives and Liberties Friday, May 3, 2013, 10:00am-11:30am

Last week, the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Constitution, Civil Rights, and Human Rights held the first Senate hearing on drones. With the testimony of one particular witness, Yemeni youth activist Farea Al-Muslimi, policymakers were confronted with the reality of this policy. During his powerful and emotional presentation, Farea spoke of the impact of a drone strike on his village, stating that “What the violent militants had previously failed to achieve, one drone strike accomplished in an instant.”

We believe Farea’s voice is critical for members of Congress to hear and are hosting him for a congressional briefing on the House side tomorrow entitled Drones: A Slippery Slope on Lives and Liberty.  Experts will be present to address the civilian impact of targeted strikes and the legal framework underlying US drone policy.

If you are in DC, please join us in person. If not, we will be live-streaming the briefing on our website at www.aaiusa.org.

There needs to be greater transparency about our government’s drone policy, but also better clarity on the legal justification and the basis for the targeted strikes. It is also critical that measures are taken to ensure that civilian populations do not continue to comprise the overwhelming majority of causalities. It is our hope that taking this conversation directly to policymakers on the Hill will help move us in the right direction.

Thank you for your continued support.

WHAT: Congressional Briefing on Drones: A Slippery Slope on Lives and Liberties

WHEN: Friday, May 3, 2013, 10:00am-11:30am

WHERE: 2226 Rayburn House Office Building

Speakers:

Farea Al-Muslimi: Yemeni youth activist; formerly worked with the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, USAID, and Resonate! Yemen.

Jennifer Daskal: Adjunct Professor of Law and Fellow at the Center on Law and National Security at Georgetown University Law Center; formerly served as counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for National Security at the Department of Justice.

Naureen Shah: Associate Director of the Counterterrorism and Human Rights Project at the Human Rights Institute at Columbia Law School; co-authored the report, "The Civilian Impact of Drone Strikes;" consultant to Amnesty International USA.

Moderator: Yasmine Taeb, AAI Government Relations Manager