"Extrajudicial Executions"? UN Experts Sound the Alarm
Independent United Nations experts warn that recent US strikes on suspected drug vessels in international waters near Venezuela risk a dangerous escalation. They say these attacks amount to "extrajudicial executions" ⚖️🚢—killing people without legal process.
Since early 2025, US President Donald Trump has ordered strikes on at least six vessels in the Caribbean, resulting in at least 27 deaths. The administration argues it’s part of a "narcoterrorist" campaign targeting networks linked to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
But the UN panel, appointed by the Human Rights Council, says the moves violate the international law of the sea and breach Venezuela’s sovereignty. "Even if such allegations were substantiated, the use of lethal force in international waters without proper legal basis … violates international law and amounts to extrajudicial executions," the experts said.
A senior State Department official pushed back, calling Maduro "an illegitimate leader" and accusing the experts of undermining regional security. Meanwhile, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil praised the report, messaging that Washington "fabricates enemies to justify self-defense" and ends up in "massacres in the Caribbean."
The strikes unfold against a backdrop of a major US military buildup in the region—including guided-missile destroyers, F-35 jets, a nuclear submarine, and around 6,500 troops—as tensions ramp up in the standoff with Caracas.
With the US framing its actions under Article 51 of the UN Charter (the self-defense clause), experts warn that any covert or direct attack on another sovereign state could be an even graver breach of UN rules. 🌍
Reference(s):
Experts term U.S. strikes against Venezuela 'extrajudicial executions'
cgtn.com
