Australian Human Rights Commission
Human Rights and Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems, 30 November 2023
Endnotes
1
International Committee of the Red Cross, ‘Autonomous Weapons Systems: Technical, Military, Legal and
Humanitarian Aspects’ (Expert Meeting, 2014) 7.
2
Michael Klare, ‘Assessing the Dangers: Emerging Military technologies and Nuclear (In)Stablity, An Arms
Control Association Report’, (Report, February 2023) 12.
3
Christof Heyns, ‘Report of the Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions’ (Report
to the Human Rights Council, 09 April 2013) 6 [31].
4
Neil Davison, ‘A Legal Perspective: Autonomous Weapon Systems under International Humanitarian Law’
(UNODA Occasional Papers, No. 30, 2018) 7-8.
5
ICRC Online Casebook, ‘Proportionality’ (Webpage)
<https://casebook.icrc.org/a_to_z/glossary/proportionality>.
6
Human Rights Watch, ‘Losing Humanity: The Case against Killer Robots’ (Report, 2012) 25.
7
Human Rights Watch, ‘Losing Humanity: The Case against Killer Robots’ (Report, 2012) 35.
8
United Nations, ‘Machines Capable of Taking Lives without Human Involvement Are Unacceptable, SecretaryGeneral Tells Experts on Autonomous Weapons Systems’ (Press Release, United Nations, 25 March 2019)
<https://press.un.org/en/2019/sgsm19512.doc.htm>.
9
United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs, ‘High Contracting Parties and Signatories CCW’ (Webpage)
<https://www.un.org/disarmament/the-convention-on-certain-conventional-weapons/high-contractingparties-and-signatories-ccw/>.
10
United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs, ‘Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems (LAWS)’
<https://disarmament.unoda.org/the-convention-on-certain-conventional-weapons/background-on-laws-inthe-ccw/>.
11
Annex III, Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, opened for signature 10 October 1980, 1342 UNTS
137 (entered into force 2 December 1983).
12
United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs, ‘High Contracting Parties and Signatories CCW’ (Webpage)
<https://www.un.org/disarmament/the-convention-on-certain-conventional-weapons/high-contractingparties-and-signatories-ccw/>.
13
Fionnuala Ní Aoláin, ‘Human Rights Implications of the Development, Use and Transfer of New Technologies
in the Context of Counter-terrorism and Countering and Preventing Violent Extremism’ (Report of the Special
Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms while Countering
Terrorism, 01 March 2023) 10 [30].
14
Maria Cramer, ‘A.I Drone May have Acted on its Own in Attacking Fighters, U.N Says’, New York Times
(Online, 03 June 2021) <https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/03/world/africa/libya-drone.html>; Robert
Trager, ‘Killer Robots are Here - and we Need to Regulate Them’, Foreign Policy (Online, 11 May 2022)
<https://foreignpolicy.com/2022/05/11/killer-robots-lethal-autonomous-weapons-systems-ukraine-libyaregulation/>.
15
Human Rights Watch, ‘Ukraine: Russia Uses Banned Antipersonnel Landmines’ (Report, 29 March 2022)
<https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/03/29/ukraine-russia-uses-banned-antipersonnel-landmines>.
16
Human Rights Watch, ‘Ukraine: Russia Uses Banned Antipersonnel Landmines’ (Report, 29 March 2022)
<https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/03/29/ukraine-russia-uses-banned-antipersonnel-landmines>.
17
Panel of Experts on Libya, ‘Letter Dated 8 March 2021 from the Panel of Experts on Libya Established
Pursuant to Resolution 1973 (2011) Addressed to the President of the Security Council’ (Report S/2021/229, 08
March 2021) 17; see also James Vincent, ‘Have Autonomous Robots Started Killing in War?’, The Verge
(Online, 03 June 2021) >https://www.theverge.com/2021/6/3/22462840/killer-robot-autonomous-droneattack-libya-un-report-context>.
18
United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs, ‘Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems (LAWS)’
<https://disarmament.unoda.org/the-convention-on-certain-conventional-weapons/background-on-laws-inthe-ccw/>.
19
International Committee of the Red Cross, ‘Joint Call by the United Nations Secretary-General and the
President of the International Committee of the Red Cross for States to Establish New Prohibitions and
Restrictions on Autonomous Weapon Systems’ (News Release, 05 October 2023)
<https://www.icrc.org/en/document/joint-call-un-and-icrc-establish-prohibitions-and-restrictionsautonomous-weapons-systems>.
12