UN experts accuse US of extrajudicial executions of Venezuelans in the Caribbean
UN human rights experts have accused the United States (US) of carrying out extrajudicial executions in the Caribbean Sea, following the killing of 14 individuals during American military strikes targeting boats that Washington claimed were operated by drug traffickers from Venezuela.
The three independent experts stated in a statement released on Tuesday that international law does not allow governments to simply kill alleged drug traffickers, emphasizing that the right to life must be respected even in international waters or within foreign territories.
The UN statement came after US President Donald Trump announced that his forces carried out a military strike on Monday targeting a boat traveling from Venezuela to the United States, resulting in the deaths of three people.
President Trump announced that American forces conducted a military strike in the Caribbean targeting a boat he claimed was carrying Venezuelan drug traffickers, resulting in the deaths of three of them.
Trump affirmed through Truth Social that the strike was ordered by him against what he described as violent drug terrorists, and he posted a video of the boat’s explosion without providing evidence of it carrying drugs.
Earlier this month, American forces destroyed another boat carrying 11 individuals, whom Washington claimed were linked to the Venezuelan gang “Train de Aragua.
The experts confirmed that the use of deadly force is only lawful in cases of self-defense or to protect others from an imminent threat of death, warning that what occurred constitutes a serious violation of international law.
This operation follows an earlier strike in early September that resulted in the deaths of 11 individuals, whom Washington claimed were drug traffickers.
