Extrajudicial Killing in International Law: the Case study of Assassination of General Soleimani

Extrajudicial killing in international law, is the use of intentional and lethal force by states, which is not justifiable under the rules of the right to life and can be carried out arbitrarily without legal authorization and without a fair trial. On January 3, 2020, a US drone strike killed General Qassem Soleimani and his entourage at Baghdad Airport, killing him and his entourage. The United States immediately took responsibility for the attack. This paper seeks to answer the question whether the United States' action against General Soleimani and his entourage at Baghdad airport could be considered extrajudicial killing in international law. The present paperr using a descriptive-analytical methos concludes that the United States has committed extrajudicial killing against General Soleimani and his entourage by arbitrarily depriving them of life, without legal authorization and without a fair trial. In addition to the violation of human rights of the individuals, US action also violated the rules of international humanitarian law and international criminal law. Of course, it should not be forgotten that General Soleimani and his entourage were never sentenced to death in a competent court and through a fair trial.