Yemeni drone attack survivor seeks justice

This video says about itself:

Drone attacks in Yemen mostly hit civilians

17 July 2013

US drones strikes in Yemen nearly tripled last year compared to the year before, from 18 to 53, according to the New America Foundation, a Washington-based think tank. According to the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, there have been up to 154 strikes by US drones in Yemen since 2002, that has killed almost 800 people. But it is mostly civilians who are often injured or killed in these attacks. Al Jazeera’s Mohammed Adow reports from the village of Subul in Northern Yemen.

By James Tweedie:

Yemen: Washington court asked to rule drone deaths illegal

Wednesday 10th June 2015

Bereaved man seeks apology

A YEMENI man whose nephew and brother-in-law were killed in a US drone strike in 2012 has asked a Washington court to declare their deaths unlawful.

Faisal bin Ali Jaber filed a lawsuit on Monday over the killing of his brother-in-law Salem bin Ali Jaber and nephew Waleed bin Ali Jaber.

He is jointly represented by anti-death penalty and extrajudicial killing campaign Reprieve and pro bono counsel from law firm McKool Smith.

Reprieve pointed out that the two victims had no links to terrorism.

Waleed was a 26-year-old police officer with a wife and infant child of his own.

Salem was an anti-al-Qaida imam who is survived by a widow and seven young children. He had preached against extremism just days before he and Waleed were killed.

Mr bin Ali Jaber is not seeking damages for his relatives’ deaths, although he alleges that the US government offered his family an unofficial compensation payment.

He said that in July 2014 the family were offered a bag containing $100,000 (£65,000) at a meeting with the Yemeni National Security Bureau.

The bureau official told a family representative that the money had come from the US and that he had been asked to pass it on.

In November 2013, Mr bin Ali Jaber travelled to Washington DC to discuss the drone attack with senators and White House officials, many of whom offered personal regrets for the deaths of his relatives.

However, the US government has refused to publicly acknowledge or apologise for the attack.

Mr bin Ali Jaber said: “No-one will say publicly that an American drone killed Salem and Waleed, even though we all know it. This is unjust.”

“If the US was willing to pay off my family in secret cash, why can’t they simply make a public acknowledgement that my relatives were wrongly killed?”