The United Nations has accused the United States of violating international law after a series of deadly airstrikes on boats in the Caribbean and Pacific Oceans, which Washington claims were linked to drug trafficking.
In a sharp statement issued Friday, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk condemned the attacks as “unacceptable” and said they “violate international human rights law.” More than 60 people have reportedly been killed since the operations began in early September.
“These strikes find no justification in international law,” Türk said, urging the U.S. to immediately halt the campaign and prevent further “extrajudicial killings of people aboard these boats, whatever the criminal conduct alleged against them.”
The United States has defended the operations as part of its ongoing effort to disrupt transnational drug cartels and terrorism networks, insisting they comply with international humanitarian law.
Türk flatly rejected that reasoning, stressing that counter-narcotics operations fall under law enforcement, not wartime rules of engagement. “The intentional use of lethal force is lawful only as a last resort when there is an imminent threat to life,” he said. “Based on the limited information made public, none of the individuals targeted appeared to pose such a threat.”
The High Commissioner called for a prompt, independent, and transparent investigation into the reported killings. While acknowledging the dangers of drug trafficking, he urged Washington to return to its long-held principles of due process and fair trial.
“The United States should investigate and, if necessary, prosecute individuals accused of serious crimes in accordance with the rule of law,” Türk added.
