The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Condemns US Strikes in the Caribbean and Calls for an Independent Investigation
In an official statement released today, Wednesday, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, described the US attacks in the Caribbean as a "violation of international and humanitarian law." Turk called for an "immediate and independent investigation" into these operations.
Turk's statements came one day after a statement issued by Human Rights Watch, where the organization urged US allies to condemn the strikes, which it described as "illegal," targeting boats suspected of transporting drugs in the Caribbean. The organization emphasized that countries like France, Britain, and the Netherlands _which "have influence in the Caribbean"_ should "conduct due diligence and assess their maritime cooperation" with Washington's military campaign.
The organization’s statement stressed that "under both US and international law, those accused of crimes should be arrested and tried, not executed extrajudicially." It also listed Canada, Britain, France, and the Netherlands among the countries that should "issue condemnations" against this campaign, which has caused division within the US Congress and increased pressure on senior administration officials.
On the other hand, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth distanced himself from one of the most controversial operations, during which two survivors from a previous raid on a suspicious boat in the Caribbean were killed. Hegseth strongly denied "having ordered the killing of the surviving sailors." In contrast, the White House stated that an officer under Hegseth's command was the one who ordered the strike.
It is noted that the military campaign carried out by the Trump administration against boats suspected of drug trafficking resulted in the deaths of more than 80 people, without providing public evidence proving the involvement of those boats in the alleged activities.
