The United States has deployed two of its most advanced long-distance surveillance drones to a base in northern Japan to spy on North Korea and China.
The deployment of the Global Hawk drones was made over the past week, The Associated Press reported on Friday.
read all
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2014/05/30/364834/us-spy-drones-to-monitor-china-naval-ops/
We call on people all over the world to join us in the global day of action on October 4.
PLANS FOR OCTOBER
As some of you know, the week of Oct. 4 – 11 will be a particular time to focus on ending drone attacks and drone surveillance.
Medea Benjamin and CODEPINK are in communication with organizers in the United Kingdom and Germany on an Oct. 4 Global Day of Actions Against Drones and will be developing actions with organizers in the U.S.
Elsa Rassbach, reports from Germany:
“In Berlin our theme for October 4th will be something like ‘Fly Kites Not Drones: Against Use of Drones for Killing and Surveillance.’
“We’ll make this a day for families to fly kites and protest together at simultaneous actions in different boroughs in Berlin. We’ll provide simple kites, all in one color, on which people can paint their individual messages. I’ve attached the first version of a poster we’ll likely use. (See below.) Other slogan suggestions we’ve had are: ‘We demand drone-free skies’ or ‘Restore drone-free skies.’
“Global Action Day has been endorsed by the nationwide German Drone Campaign, and actions will take place throughout Germany on October 4th. Likely many of them will use the kite theme. People here like that the idea began in Afghanistan.
We may also decide to use Global Action Day to formally submit the petition for which we’ve been gathering signatures since 2013: “No Combat Drones.” (See: https://drohnen-kampagne.de/appell-keine-kampfdrohnen/international/appeal-no-combat-drones-english-version/)
And in Berlin we are in addition exploring the feasibility of using October 4th to introduce a resolution to the Berlin City Council to “Make Berlin a Drone-Free Zone.” (We’re inspired by the local resolution efforts in the US, such as in New York, and we think the kites make a good image to go along with such a resolution.)”
Oct. 4 is also the beginning of the international week of action being organized by the Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space.
Bruce Gagnon, Secretary/Co-ordinator for the Global Network, in encouraging organizing for the week
A single acronym in a US defence contract notice provided the clue that established the role of the UK’s telecoms infrastructure in supporting controversial US drone flights.
It was buried in an official notice unearthed by legal charity Reprieve last year.
read more
Enemies, innocent victims, and soldiers have always made up the three faces of war. With war growing more distant, with drones capable of performing on the battlefield while their “pilots” remain thousands of miles away, two of those faces have, however, faded into the background in recent years. Today, we are left with just the reassuring “face” of the terrorist enemy, killed clinically by remote control while we go about our lives, apparently without any “collateral damage” or danger to our soldiers. Now, however, that may slowly be changing, bringing the true face of the drone campaigns Washington has pursued since 9/11 into far greater focus.
WEITERLESEN
http://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/276-74/23630-the-three-faces-of-drone-war
Berlin (ots) – “Offensichtlich ist es der Bundesregierung völlig egal,
ob, wieviele und welche Opfer durch den Einsatz von Drohnen zu beklagen
sind”, konstatiert Alexander S. Neu, Obmann im Verteidigungsausschuss für
die Fraktion DIE LINKE, zur Antwort der Bundesregierung auf die Kleine
Anfrage zu “Drohnen im Einsatzspektrum der Bundeswehr” (Drs. 18/1202). Neu
weiter:
“Seit dem Jahr 2000 nutzt die Bundeswehr verschiedene Drohnen zur
‘Lageaufklärung’ in den Einsatzgebieten. Insgesamt waren das über 12.000
Einsätze – davon allein 10.247 in Afghanistan. Hinzu kommen noch die
Drohnen-Einsätze der jeweiligen Verbündeten, die zum Teil auch bewaffnete
Drohnen nutzen und damit die Bundeswehr unterstützen. Trotz dieser enormen
Zahl von Einsätzen kann die Bundesregierung angeblich nur zu vier Drohnen-
angriffen innerhalb des deutschen Verantwortungsbereichs in Afghanistan
Erkenntnisse vorlegen – und dies auch nur bruchstückhaft. So gab es 2012
zwei Drohnenangriffe im Regionalkommando Nord gegen regierungsfeindliche
Kräfte, zu denen sie jedoch keine Angaben zu den Opfern machen kann. Im Jahr
2010 wurden bei einem Waffeneinsatz einer US-Drohne ‘vermutlich vier
Aufständische getötet’, zivile Opfer wurden ‘nicht festgestellt’. Da der
Bundesregierung noch nicht einmal über das Geschlecht der Getöteten,
geschweige denn über deren Alter oder Identität Erkenntnisse vorliegen, muss
zumindest die Frage gestellt werden, woher sie denn wissen will, dass es
sich bei den Getöteten wirklich um Aufständische handelte.
Insgesamt behauptet die Bundesregierung, keine Daten bezüglich der
Drohneneinsätze ihrer ISAF-Verbündeten in Afghanistan und der damit
verbundenen Opfer zu erheben. Diese Praxis ist skandalös und zugleich
symptomatisch für die bittere Realität des Drohnenkrieges: Keine genauen
Erkenntnisse über die Lage und Zielpersonen, stattdessen einfach aus der
Ferne auf einen Knopf drücken und sich um die Folgen keine Gedanken machen.
Würde sich die Bundesregierung für die Folgen von Drohneneinsätzen
interessieren, könnte sie in Afghanistan über einen extrem großen Datenpool
für die angeblich von ihr angestrebte Evaluation der Nutzung von Drohnen zu
Kriegszwecken verfügen. Diese blutigen Daten sind ihr jedoch offenbar
gleichgültig.
Angesichts dieser Gleichgültigkeit gegenüber den Folgen des Drohnen-
einsatzes, muss die geplante Beschaffung von Drohnen für die Bundeswehr
unbedingt verhindert werden.”
OTS: Fraktion DIE LINKE.
newsroom: http://www.presseportal.de/pm/41150
newsroom via RSS: http://www.presseportal.de/rss/pm_41150.rss2
Pressekontakt:
Hendrik Thalheim
Pressesprecher
Fraktion DIE LINKE. im Bundestag
Platz der Republik 1
11011 Berlin
Telefon +4930/227-52800
Telefax +4930/227-56801
pressesprecher ät linksfraktion.de
Warum US Drohnen nicht über Nigeria fliegen. (Trotz Boko Haram Entführung erlaubt Nigeria die Drohnen nicht.)
Ein ziemlich ausführlicher neuer Artikel zu US-Drohnen und Spionage-Satelliten über Afrika.
Why US Drones Aren’t Flying Over Nigeria
http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/missing-nigeria-schoolgirls/why-u-s-drones-arent-flying-over-nigeria-what-they-n102031
schön an dieser Strategie ist, dass sie den Wunsch der Menschen im Westen (USA, Europa), nicht durch Drohnen überwacht zu werden, mit der Förderung, Drohnen-Mord in anderen Ländern zu beenden, eng verbindet.
Leverett Becomes Sixth City to Pass Anti-Drone Resolution
http://warisacrime.org/content/leverett-becomes-sixth-city-pass-anti-drone-resolution
Here are the other five.
Leverett and Amherst, Mass., both were expected to consider resolutions. I haven’t heard any news from Amherst.
The Leverett news is courtesy of Beth Adams.
I haven’t seen official text, but here’s some idea of what was passed, or at least what was considered for passage, in Leverett:
The Recorder:
Town meeting in Leverett will consider a resolution calling on the federal government to end the use of drones for assassinations on foreign soil and to enact regulations on the use of the unmanned aircraft in the United States.
It would ask U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Edward Markey and U.S. Rep. James McGovern to bring forward legislation “to end the practice of extrajudicial killing by armed drone aircraft” by withholding money for that purpose and “to make restitution for injuries, fatalities and environmental damage resulting from the actions of the United States government, the Department of Defense, the Central Intelligence Agency, allied nations and/or its private contractors.”
The second aspect of the article is to ensure that drones stay at least 500 feet above private properties unless otherwise authorized by town officials.
According to Beth Adams, a Leverett resident and co-author of the measure, the resolution was inspired by one passed in Northampton last summer. “We think it is important for the public to be informed about the rule-making going on without any public input,” Adams said.
May 3 town meeting
The resolution in Leverett, which was authored by a group called Pioneer Valley Citizens Concerned About Drones, received 19 signatures — nearly double the number required to get an article on the warrant. It will be voted on close to the end of the meeting, which begins at 9 a.m. May 3, according to Town Clerk Lisa Stratford.
Adams said “We think people need to be educated about this topic, and we hope other communities will follow our example and pass resolutions that will protect their communities from potential violations before the (Federal Aviation Administration) changes the rules.”
Boston Globe:
“Town meetings in Amherst and Leverett will consider resolutions calling on the federal government to end the use of drones for assassinations and regulate the unmanned aircraft locally. The Daily Hampshire Gazette reported that Amherst Select Board member James Wald said he isn’t comfortable with the town having a foreign policy when the federal government doesn’t have one. Frank Gatti, a Town Meeting member and lead petitioner in Amherst, said the drone resolution would express concern about the US government killing people in Pakistan and Yemen. It would ask US Senators Elizabeth Warren and Edward J. Markey and Representative James McGovern to propose legislation to stop funding drone killings. A second restriction would keep drones at least 500 feet above private property unless otherwise authorized by town officials.”
AP:
“A second restriction would keep drones at least 500 feet above private property unless otherwise authorized by town officials.”
Dear friends and activists,
We have a great action toolkit, including a short video, that takes you step-by-step through the resolution process. Check out the campaign here and contact me if you are interested or have any questions!
Peace,
Alli, Medea and the CODEPINK team
Drohnen-Kampagne Nachrichten 