On Sunday, May 4, 2014, human rights activists used street theater in front of the White House to simulate a wedding attacked by a US drone strike in Yemen. Activists sought to educate the public about how terrifying it would be to have the same thing happen in the US, and motivate people to take action against the drones. The bride, groom and the guests all wore fancy wedding clothes and a Catholic priest conducted the ceremony.
On December 13, 2013, 12 civilians were killed when a Hellfire missile targeted vehicles that were part of a wedding procession going toward the groom’s village outside the central Yemeni city of Rad’a. Until now, the Obama administration has failed to compensate ––let alone acknowledge–– the families, or most of the innocent drone strike victims in Pakistan and Yemen. This has inflamed anti-American sentiment in Yemen and encouraged more local people to join extremist groups.
One person reported on twitter, @sammylafrance, “Handed out stop drones fliers for @codepink today and a man came up to me to say “I’m from Yemen. thank you for acting on this.”
Activists in the US and Yemen are calling for an immediate end to killer drone strikes. “The people of the United States need a serious wake-up call,” said Rooj Alwazir from the Yemeni activist group #SupportYemen. “They live in a country where their government is directly facilitating a secret kill program in their name. The idea that drones are precise and kill only terrorists is a myth. This is a dirty, destructive war and it must end today.”
CODEPINK has been campaigning against the use of killer and spy drones for several years. The organization hosted the first-ever international drone summit in 2012, another in 2013, and has taken delegations to Pakistan and Yemen to meet with survivors of American drone strikes. More information about the CODEPINK anti-drone campaign can be found at www.codepink.org.
Saleh Mohsen al-Amari of Yakla shows photos of nephew Shaif Abdullah Mohsen Mabkhut al-`Amri (left) and cousin Saleh Mes`ad Abdullah al-`Amri, who were killed in a US drone strike outside Rad`a, Yemen, on December 12, 2013.
© 2013 Human Rights Watch
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