US Must Stop Violating Laws by Launching Drone Attacks From Germany - Lawmaker

Hans-Christian Strobele, a member of the Germany Green Party, stated that the United States did not respect German laws by using the Ramstein Air Base to launch its drone attacks despite Washington's claims.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — German leadership should make it clear that the United States cannot continue to violate Germany's laws by using the Ramstein Air Base to launch its drone attacks, Hans-Christian Strobele, a member of the Germany Green Party, told Sputnik on Friday.

In April 2015, media reports revealed that the US military base in Ramstein was a center of the US drone program, which uses unmanned aerial vehicles for airstrikes in the Middle East and Africa.

"We have to talk with the United States in a frankly manner and say that it can't go further. It violates our laws," Strobele said.

The politician argued that the United States did not respect German laws despite Washington's claims.

"The fact that German chancellor's mobile phone was wiretapped. Germany does not have a law that would allow wiretapping a mobile phone of the chancellor," Strobele stressed.

The use of drones, which leads to many deaths among civilians, is qualified as a war crime under Germany's Code of Crimes against International Law adopted in 2002.

In December 2016, Strobele filed a motion with the office of Public Prosecutor General, urging it to investigate those behind the drone attacks carried out from the air base.

Ramstein Air Base is the largest US facility outside the United States' territory, comprising 15,000 servicemen and 30,000 civilians. The US drone program triggered heated discussions across Germany, with many activists urging for the program to end altogether, as drone strikes lead to mass casualties among civilians.