press@ccrjustice.org
February 11, 2014, New York – In response to news reports that the Obama administration is considering assassinating an American citizen who allegedly presents a security threat, the Center for Constitutional Rights issued the following statement:
Once again, the Obama administration is secretly considering killing a US citizen without due process and absent proof that the individual genuinely poses an imminent threat. While increased transparency around the government’s targeted killings – of both US- and non-US citizens – is imperative, the legality and morality of the entire program must be scrutinized by the courts and the public. Ultimately, the administration’s apparent rationale for the targeted killing program – that the US is engaged in a global, decade-plus-long war with Al Qaeda and unspecified ‘associated forces’ – turns the principles that prohibit killing outside the battlefield on their head.
The Center for Constitutional Rights is dedicated to advancing and protecting the rights guaranteed by the United States Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Founded in 1966 by attorneys who represented civil rights movements in the South, CCR is a non-profit legal and educational organization committed to the creative use of law as a positive force for social change.
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