Back to News & Commentary

After Al-Aulaqi's Killing, Why Due Process Matters

Suzanne Ito,
老澳门开奖结果
Share This Page
October 3, 2011

In David Shipler of The Shipler Report writes about why due process 鈥 even for terrorism suspects who have admitted to plotting against the U.S. 鈥 is important:

So, why bother to bring the guilty man in for a fair trial? For thorough truth-finding, one could say, or to uphold the pageantry of constitutional justice, which is a crown jewel of our democracy. To lend unquestioned legitimacy to the ultimate sentence, even if it is death, so the world does not look upon America with repugnance. To keep the trappings of civilized order so that we do not become a vigilante state. To stop ourselves from taking a step down a long slope whose ends might be oppression very different from anything we can now imagine鈥

Shipler also calls for the Obama administration to reveal the standards under which Americans are placed on the CIA's "kill lists," information we seek in our Predator Drone Freedom of Information Act request and lawsuit. But the government has mostly stonewalled our attempts to uncover basic information about targeted killings. The CIA refuses to confirm or deny whether it has any records at all relating to targeted killings using drones, even though the CIA鈥檚 involvement in the drone program is . And other government agencies flatly refuse to release documents explaining the government鈥檚 asserted legal basis for conducting targeted killings 鈥 including against U.S. citizens 鈥 using drones.

This morning, that ABC News' Jake Tapper asked White House spokesman Jay Carney if the Obama administration will release the evidence that justified the assassination of al-Aulaqi, who was a U.S. citizen.

You have to see the video to believe it, but in a word, the answer is: "No."

Learn more about targeted killing: Sign up for breaking news alerts, , and .

Learn More 老澳门开奖结果 the Issues on This Page