Ron Paul, ACLU condemn Anwar al-Awlaki killing

CBS

White House hopeful Ron Paul and the American Civil Liberties Union each condemned the United States' killing of Anwar al-Awlaki, an American citizen who has never been charged with any crime.

Al Qaeda's Anwar al-Awlaki killed in Yemen

Paul, a staunch Libertarian, said in New Hampshire Friday that it's "sad" if "the American people accept this blindly and casually," adding that "nobody knows if he ever killed anybody," According to the Wall Street Journal. the Texas Republican lawmaker said United States officials "have never been specific about the crime."

The ACLU said the killing was a violation of both U.S. and international law.

"As we've seen today, this is a program under which American citizens far from any battlefield can be executed by their own government without judicial process, and on the basis of standards and evidence that are kept secret not just from the public but from the courts," said Jameel Jaffer, deputy legal director for the ACLU. "The government's authority to use lethal force against its own citizens should be limited to circumstances in which the threat to life is concrete, specific and imminent. It is a mistake to invest the president - any president - with the unreviewable power to kill any American whom he deems to present a threat to the country."

Added ACLU National Security Project Litigation Director Ben Wizner: "If the Constitution means anything, it surely means that the president does not have unreviewable authority to summarily execute any American whom he concludes is an enemy of the state."

As the Washington Post reported in January 2010, the Obama administration has elected to continue a post-Sept. 11 Bush administration policy authorizing the CIA and the military to kill U.S. citizens outside the country if there is strong evidence of their involvement in terrorist activities. U.S. officials reportedly maintain lists of citizens who they have the authority to kill. Awlaki's father unsuccessfully sought a court order last year to keep the government from killing his son.

al-Awlaki is a radical Islamic preacher who rose to the top ranks of al Qaeda in Yemen, and U.S. officials said he played a "significant operational role" in plotting and fomenting attacks on the country where he was born. "He directed the failed attempt to blow up an airplane on Christmas Day in 2009, he directed the failed attempt to blow up U.S. cargo planes in 2010, and he repeatedly called on individuals in the United States and around the globe to kill innocent men, women and children to advance a murderous agenda," President Obama said Friday.

Who was Anwar al-Awlaki?

The Obama administration's position that it can kill a U.S. citizen without due process seems to stand in contrast to its handling of foreign-born terrorists like Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who are provided access to lawyers and who the administration maintains should be tried in federal courts.

Ron Paul was not the only presidential candidate to raise questions about the killing. Gary Johnson, who shares many of Paul's libertarian beliefs, said "we cannot allow the War on Terror to diminish our steadfast adherence to the notion of due process for American citizens. The protections under the Constitution for those accused of crimes do not just apply to people we like -- they apply to everyone, including a terrorist like al-Awlaki. It is a question of due process for American citizens."

[whick1]

Ron Paul is the only person who is for freedom and human rights. He is the only person who understands the Debt must be retired if the dollar is to survive. We MUST elect RON PAUL,POTUS Any other choice will be disastrous to the U.S.

[theapologist]

The level of stupidity and ignorance in this comment thread depresses me.

"Those that would give away their freedoms for their security deserve neither." --Ben Franklin

He got no trial. The constitution requires a trial of law for EVERYONE! Even treason is given a trial. Any evidence you have against him belongs in a court of law.

You can't violate the constitution to protect the constitution. You can't murder to prevent murder.

All of you sheep sanctioning this evil decision, since you don't seem to care about your right to remain alive, or get due process of law, or have a government with devided powers, could you please give those rights to me? I may need them in a minute if Obama unilaterally decides that his opponents are terror

[theapologist]

The level of stupidity and ignorance in this comment thread depresses me.

"Those that would give away their freedoms for their security deserve neither." --Ben Franklin

He got no trial. The constitution requires a trial of law for EVERYONE! Even treason is given a trial. Any evidence you have against him belongs in a court of law.

You can't violate the constitution to protect the constitution. You can't murder to prevent murder.

All of you sheep sanctioning this evil decision, since you don't seem to care about your right to remain alive, or get due process of law, or have a government with devided powers, could you please give those rights to me? I may need them in a minute if Obama unilaterally decides that his opponents are terrorists.

[VET03]

@USlynx81 - Your comments and your copy and pasting quotes come off pretty ignorant. Take a course in Fundamental Radical Islamists. And it's pretty arrogant to come off and reply to an opine that Ron Paul knows more about a subject than you or the writer. You may know squat, and from your replies that's what it seems, but you have no clue what level the other person is on. You have a holier than thou attitude - come out of your parents basement and try to find a partner for yourself.

[ripcurl21]

Wait,wait ....so you liberals and Ron Paul idiots agree with Al Quida then that he is a lawful human being that deserves to be on this planet ? LOL let me repeat it for you YOU AGREE WITH AL QUIDA who is the ENEMY OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA that this guy was helping ( plenty of evidence ) ...so this is what your saying ?

[PattyFromTexas]

I know this is an old article but it still never ceases to amaze me that there are so many shortsighted people. First of all, lets us start with the premise that we are all Americans who love our country and our families and that it's founded on the principals elucidated in the constitution with the concept that we as human beings have the inalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, and that all men are created equally, and that we are not to be divided by the color of our skin, the god we worship, the jobs we do, or the things we own. If we go by those premises then all Americans including those with whom you disagree are entitled to at least be charged with something before we give our government the authority to assassinate an American citizen. It's evident to me that if one American can be extrajudicially assassinated without due process, it can happen to anyone the government deems dangerous. Maybe THIS president won't use that power to start targeting his loud mouth opponents, but what about the next one?

[bikan0e]

exactly right. I have to say, as a conservative to a liberal, listening to this tripe makes me like Obama a lot more for not getting caught up in this uber-liberal nonsense.

[noloyalisti]

Murder without charges is still murder. That is the scam of this fake and fraudulent War of Terror. I mean how stupid does the military think the American people are? As stupid as they are?

[GlowBunny]

Our foreign policies are NOT to blame for 'this even being an issue'. Muslims have harassed and attacked Europe and the U.S. (and India, Africa, Middle East) from DAY ONE. Every country the live in USED to belong to someone else - EGYPT? was 100% christian. The COPT Christians, and the word COPT is an old Egyptian word that simply means EGYPTIAN. Now it only means 'the christians'. Now they are just 10% and they are being oppressed and persecuted unto death. That is just one example. They are killing people everywhere they live.

Awlaki was an AL-QAEDA recruiter who said KILL AMERICANS in his videos and on his website. The Fort Hood shooter had been contacting him via email prior to his attack. Apparently he was very good at recruiting and I don't care if he ever lifted a finger to personally hurt or plan an attack himself, he is just as guilty.

This is war, you bleeding heart weaklings. People get killed. You should be thankful it wasn't your family killed by someone he recruited rather than worrying about this foul creature.

[noloyalisti]

Stop demonizing Muslims and stop justifying murder because you somehow think you are special. Man, what happened to our brains?

[nearl451]

I don't feel at all sorry for these fellows, but that is hardly the point.

Since these guy;'s have killed far more Muslims than anyone else, one would think the publicity of a capture and trial for killing civilian Muslims among others would serve a better purpose than simple assassinations....that some terrorists now are emulating (see bomb plot with model airplanes - sounds abit like drones, doesn't it?).

[BoiseIdahoGuy]

The article does not mention that he was tried in absentia in Yemen, effectively sentenced to death by a judge in Yemen and killed in Yemen. The US role could be seen as executioner for a foreign government rather than a rogue force killing it's own citizens. But it is certainly a very gray area.

[noloyalisti]

Well yeah, we did not even charge him with any crime. That is the beauty of the New American Century inflicted on us by the neo cons and their giant corporate masters.

We passed all these bad things like the Patriot and Military Commissions Acts and there went the Bill of Rights right out the window. Now THAT is Mission Accomplished!