February 11, 2014, New York – In response to news reports that the Obama administration is considering assassinating an American citizen who allegedly presents a security threat, the Center for Constitutional Rights issued the following statement:

Once again, the Obama administration is secretly considering killing a US citizen without due process and absent proof that the individual genuinely poses an imminent threat.  While increased transparency around the government’s targeted killings – of both US- and non-US citizens – is imperative, the legality and morality of the entire program must be scrutinized by the courts and the public.  Ultimately, the administration’s apparent rationale for the targeted killing program – that the US is engaged in a global, decade-plus-long war with Al Qaeda and unspecified ‘associated forces’ – turns the principles that prohibit killing outside the battlefield on their head.