UN Experts Warn U.S. Is Carrying Out “Extrajudicial Executions” in the Caribbean

A group of United Nations (UN) experts warned on Tuesday that the U.S. government, through its so-called “war on narcoterrorism,” is committing extrajudicial executions and violating international maritime law by launching missiles against vessels in the Caribbean—accusing them, without evidence and without any armed resistance, of allegedly engaging in international drug trafficking.

In a statement released by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the group of experts—including Ben Saul, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism; Morris Tidball-Binz, Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary, or arbitrary executions; and George Katrougalos, Independent Expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order—held the U.S. responsible for the extrajudicial execution of people in the Caribbean.

According to the experts, U.S. troops killed civilians in two massacres carried out against small boats. The first was reported on September 2, 2025, when U.S. Southern Command forces launched a missile strike on a vessel, killing 11 people and sinking the boat, which was allegedly carrying a significant shipment of drugs.

The second mass killing took place on September 15, when U.S. forces once again attacked another small boat, this time killing three people who died when their vessel was bombed by a Southern Command missile. In both cases, Washington claimed—without presenting evidence—that those killed were supposed Venezuelan “narcoterrorists.”

“International law does not permit governments to simply kill suspected drug traffickers,” the experts emphasized, noting that international law requires combating criminal activities “in accordance with the rule of law, including through international cooperation.” They added that organizations and individuals linked to drug trafficking “must be dismantled, investigated, and prosecuted.”

The experts denounced that this U.S. “war on narcoterrorists” also violates the right to life, since under international law “all countries must respect the right to life, including when acting on the high seas or in foreign territory.” They further stressed that Washington’s militarization contravenes Latin America and the Caribbean’s declaration as a “zone of peace,” signed by regional states in 2014.

On International Law

“The use of potentially lethal force is only permitted in self-defense or in defense of others against an imminent threat to life. The U.S. attack also violates international maritime law, which does not authorize unprovoked attacks on vessels, requires compliance with strict criteria for interceptions, and insists on a law enforcement—not military—approach to the use of force,” the analysts explained.

They added that in order to justify its actions, the United States claims that the Tren de Aragua—an international criminal organization designated by Washington as “terrorist”—had organized a supposed “invasion” and “predatory incursion” against U.S. territory.

However, the experts underlined that “there is no evidence” that the Tren de Aragua “is carrying out an armed attack against the United States” that could allow the Pentagon to argue the use of “military force” as an act of “self-defense.” They pointed to a supposed “classified order” signed by President Donald Trump in August 2025 authorizing military actions abroad or in international waters against drug cartels in Latin America, particularly in countries such as Mexico and Venezuela.

“International law does not allow the unilateral use of force abroad to combat terrorism or drug trafficking. Attacks on organized crime groups in foreign territory would violate the sovereignty of the other country and could constitute an unlawful use of force under the UN Charter and customary international law,” the experts warned.

The UN group also noted that the U.S. has deployed “significant naval, air, and ground forces in the region to deter drug trafficking and narcoterrorism.” In July, Washington further designated the so-called “Cartel of the Suns” as a terrorist group and alleged—without evidence—that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was its leader, raising the possibility that the U.S. might authorize the use of military force directly against that government under the pretext of countering narcotics. Maduro himself has denounced this as a plan to attempt regime change in his country.

“We urge the United States to abandon its illegal war on narcoterrorism. Under international law, the U.S. must independently investigate those who ordered and carried out these killings, prosecute the perpetrators regardless of their rank in government, provide reparations to the victims’ families, and ensure that such acts never occur again,” the experts concluded.