In the summer of 2012, two members of the bin Ali Jaber family were killed and many survivors traumatized in a drone attack in the Yemeni village of Khashamir. The US Ramstein Air Base in Germany played an important role in the attack. The German government’s response has been to deny any knowledge of or joint responsibility for the death of these and other civilians from US drone attacks.

In March 2019, the Higher Administrative Court in Münster, Germany, ruled that the German government must take action to ensure the US respects international law in using the Ramstein Air Base. The court found in favor of three members of the bin Ali Jaber family, who sued the German government with ECCHR’s support, on several key aspects. The government appealed the decision. In November 2020, the Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig, overturned the previous decision. It argued that German diplomatic efforts would suffice with regard to possible issues relating to international law. 

The plaintiffs submitted a constitutional complaint. Following the hearing before the German Federal Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe in December 2024, the Court decided in July 2025, that the German government is not required to take action in response to the use of the US airbase in Ramstein in the US drone war. Although it is undisputed that the US airbase in Ramstein plays a central role in conducting such missions, the court does not see any legal obligation on the part of Germany to take action against the use of drone attacks by the USA.

In August 2012, Faisal bin Ali Jaber, one of the claimants, was in his home village on the day of the attack. He and his extended family had arrived there the day before to celebrate his eldest son’s wedding. He was eating dinner with some family members when they heard the typical menacing buzz of drones, and shortly afterwards, the boom of missile attacks. It took hours and eyewitnesses’ help to match the charred body parts and identify Faisal’s brother-in-law Salim and nephew Walid.

What role did Germany play in the strike? The most important radio equipment (relay stations) for controlling US drone attacks and the largest central data distribution and analysis centre (DCGS) is located at the Ramstein Air Base in southwest Germany. Without the data that flows through Ramstein, the US cannot fly its combat drones in Yemen. This is why Faisal bin Ali Jaber and two other family members filed a lawsuit against the German government in October 2014. They call on Germany to stop the US from using Ramstein for airstrikes that violate international law. ECCHR and the British human rights organization Reprieve support the case.

Since 2002, the US has used targeted drone attacks to kill people suspected of being involved in terrorism – particularly  in the years 2012 - 2019 in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, Libyen, Yemen and elsewhere. The US drone attacks violate international humanitarian law, yet no one has been able to stop them. On the contrary, Germany supports the US drone program by exchanging information and giving the US comprehensive rights for military bases such as Ramstein. These strikes are not as “surgical” as the US claims, and often result in civilian deaths.

The lawsuit against Germany's involvement in the US drone program began as part of ECCHR's legal interventions against US human rights violations in the fight against terrorism after 11 September 2001. Today, it is part of our legal interventions to hold those involved in violations of fundamental precepts of international law accountable.