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For Immediate Release
February, 24 2014, 01:38pm EDT
Contact:
Reprieve's London office can be contacted on: communications [at] reprieve.org.uk / +44 (0) 207 553 8140.,Reprieve US,, based in New York City, can be contacted on Katherine [dot] oshea [at] reprieve.org
Drone Victim to Address UK MPs for the First Time
WASHINGTON
A Pakistani man who lost his son and brother to a 2009 CIA drone strike will tomorrow speak to MPs about his experiences, in the first event of its kind.
Kareem Khan, who in the past month has also been the victim of a kidnapping by what appeared to be Pakistani state agents, will address members of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Drones at 1700 GMT on 25 February 2014, in the Attlee Suite, Portcullis House.
Mr Khan will be the first victim of a CIA drone strike to address Members of the British Parliament.
The strikes are carried out by the CIA and US Special Forces in Pakistan, Yemen and elsewhere, using remotely-controlled, robotic aircraft known as 'drones.' The UK has been identified as playing a significant role in supporting such operations, both through the provision of intelligence and through communications infrastructure at US air bases on UK soil.
The strikes have caused the deaths of large numbers of civilians and have also proved controversial as they take place outside of declared warzones with little or no accountability or transparency - in violation of international law.
Mr Khan is seeking legal accountability for the killing of his teenage son and schoolteacher brother, and has brought a case against the Pakistani police over their failure to investigate their deaths. Supported by legal charity Reprieve, Mr Khan's case was raised in a complaint to the International Criminal Court, filed last week.
The meeting will be hosted by Tom Watson MP, chair of the APPG on Drones. Mr Khan will be joined on the panel by Noor Behram, an investigative journalist from North Waziristan who has documented the aftermath of dozens of drone strikes; and Jemima Stratford QC, who advised APPG members in January of the potential legal consequences for GCHQ officials who may provide data for targeting.
ENDS
Notes to editors
1. For further information, please contact Reprieve's press office: +44 (0) 207 553 8166 / donald.campbell@reprieve.org.uk
Reprieve is a UK-based human rights organization that uses the law to enforce the human rights of prisoners, from death row to Guantanamo Bay.
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