State Use of Deadly Force Outside Legal Process in Modern History

Drug Wars and Social Cleansing Campaigns

Thailand (2003)

Under Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's "war on drugs"

Over 2,500 people were killed within three months. While officially attributed to gang violence, human rights investigations confirmed extensive extrajudicial killings by police and state-sponsored squads, with public encouragement from leadership.

Bangladesh (2000s-Present)

Operations by the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB)

Thousands of extrajudicial killings documented, often labeled as "crossfire" or "gunfight" deaths. The U.S. Treasury Department has sanctioned RAB for systematic human rights violations, citing their brutal counter-crime operations.

Shoot-to-Kill Policies Against Suspected Criminals or Protesters

Kenya (Post-2007 Election Violence)

Police response to election protests

Security forces implicated in hundreds of extrajudicial killings of opposition supporters and civilians, with documented cases of execution-style murders during protest suppression.

Venezuela

Under Chávez and Maduro regimes

UN documentation of thousands of killings by FAES (Special Action Forces) and colectivos during anti-crime operations and political protests, typically justified as "confrontations" with resisting suspects.

Political Assassinations and Disappearances

Russia

Domestic and international operations

Pattern of state-sponsored assassinations including journalist Anna Politkovskaya (2006), opposition leader Boris Nemtsov (2015), and the attempted poisonings of Sergei Skripal (2018) and Alexei Navalny (2020).

Saudi Arabia

2018 Istanbul consulate operation

The killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, with U.S. intelligence concluding Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's approval, representing extraterritorial execution of a political critic.

North Korea

Kim regime operations

Systematic executions of officials and the 2017 assassination of Kim Jong-nam in Malaysia using chemical agents, demonstrating a pattern of extrajudicial elimination without legal process.

The U.S. Drone Strike Program

United States (2000s-Present)

Counter-terrorism operations in Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia

Thousands of drone strikes targeting suspected terrorists without indictment or trial. Justified under the Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) as acts of war rather than law enforcement actions. Criticized by human rights organizations as extrajudicial killings that replace legal process with executive branch review.

Conclusion

The use of state deadly force outside of judicial process has repeatedly occurred in modern history across various governance systems. Authoritarian regimes commonly employ such methods for political control, while governments combating insurgencies or crime may prioritize decisive action over legal due process. Major powers have established controversial precedents through extraterritorial counter-terrorism operations.

The significance of the Trump and Duterte cases lies in their public erosion of norms against extrajudicial action within democratic societies. While such practices have historical precedent among dictatorships, their open advocacy by elected leaders marks a distinct 21st-century challenge to international human rights frameworks and the rule of law.