Death via Ramstein: Appeal hearing at the Higher Administrative Court in Münster

Thursday, 14 March 2019, 9.30 AM
at Higher Administrative Court for the State of North Rhine-Westphalia
(Oberverwaltungsgericht für das Land Nordrhein-Westfalen)
Aegidiikirchplatz 5, 48143 Münster

Sönke Hilbrans, lawyer representing the bin Ali Jaber family at Court
Andreas Schüller, director of the International Crimes and Accountability program at the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR)
Tayyiba Bajwa, Case Worker at Reprieve

The case bin Ali Jaber vs. Germany, addressing Germany’s responsibility for US drone strikes, is now on appeal. On 14 March 2019, the appeal hearing will take place at the Higher Administrative Court for the State of North Rhine-Westphalia.

The bin Ali Jaber family lost two relatives in a US drone strike in Yemen in August 2012, which was conducted via the US military base Ramstein in Rhineland-Palatinate. The German government disputes bearing any responsibility for civilian deaths in US drone strikes. In October 2014, Faisal bin Ali Jaber and two other family members filed a lawsuit against the German government as represented by the Ministry of Defense.

The three Yemenis are calling on Germany to take legal and political responsibility for US drone strikes in Yemen and to stop the use of Ramstein in such strikes. Together with Reprieve, ECCHR is assisting the plaintiffs and their lawyers. Both organizations have been working for circa ten years on litigation against drone strikes.

We are happy to provide you with video material and quotes from one of the plaintiffs in advance.

Andreas Schüller is available for interviews and will be in Münster from 13 March 2019.

To counter injustice with legal interventions – this is the aim and daily work of the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights.

ECCHR is an independent, non-profit legal and educational organization dedicated to enforcing civil and human rights worldwide. It was founded in 2007 by Wolfgang Kaleck and other international human rights lawyers to protect and enforce the rights guaranteed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as well as other human rights declarations and national constitutions, through legal means.

Together with those affected and partners worldwide, ECCHR uses legal means to end impunity for those responsible for torture, war crimes, sexual and gender-based violence, corporate exploitation and fortressed borders.

Maria Bause
T: +49 30 69819797
M: presse@ecchr.eu

Philipp Jedamzik
T: +49 30 29680591
M: presse@ecchr.eu