United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, during a session in Geneva, Switzerland. Photo: Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/file photo.
Caracas (OrinocoTribune.com)—The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, said there are “strong indications” that United States’ strikes in the Caribbean and Pacific constitute extrajudicial killings.
The US Southern Command has killed 75 civilians so far in 19 strikes against 23 small boats. The US government has justified the strikes under the premise of the “war on drugs.” However, no legal or international approval have been provided to endorse these claims. The victims were not granted the right to a defense nor to appear before a court, and they did not represent an imminent threat to the lives of US military personnel.
#MUNDO El Alto Comisionado de las Naciones Unidas para los Derechos Humanos, Volker Turk, advirtió que hay "fuertes indicios" de que EE.UU. estaría cometiendo "ejecuciones extrajudiciales" con los ataques a embarcaciones en el Pacífico y el Caribe.
"He pedido que la… pic.twitter.com/VmR4uSbDcZ
— ÚltimaHoraCaracol (@UltimaHoraCR) November 10, 2025
“From what we know, these instances violate international human rights law,” Türk told AFP in an interview released on Monday, Nov. 10.
He argued these should be considered “law enforcement operations,” which fall under international human rights law. In such cases, “the use of lethal force has to be extremely limited” and serve as “the absolute last resort in the face of an immediate attack,” he said.
“The issue of war, conflict, or international humanitarian law should not be raised; the use of lethal force must be extremely limited and must be the last resort in the face of an immediate attack, but that is not what we are seeing,” Türk explained, countering Washington’s claims that the strikes are part of “counter-narcotics operations.”
Civilian Death Toll Rises to 75 in US SOUTHCOM’s Killing Spree
When asked if the strikes could constitute extrajudicial killings, Türk responded, “That’s precisely what needs to be found out and investigated.”
Analysts claim that this answer attempts to places the responsibility for denunciation and investigation on the United States rather than on the international organization he leads.
“I have called for investigations by the US administration first and foremost, because they need to … ask themselves the question: Are these violations of international human rights law? Are they extrajudicial killings?” Türk said. “There are strong indications that they are, but they need to investigate this.”
Special for Orinoco Tribune by staff
OT/JRE/SL
