UN: U.S. strikes on suspected drug traffickers illegal

Pars Today – The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on Friday condemned U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration for conducting military strikes against boats it had accused of smuggling drugs from South America, stating that these attacks violated international law.

Volker Türk, in a statement, emphasized that there is no justification under international law for the U.S. attacks, saying:“These strikes and their growing human toll are unacceptable. The United States must immediately halt such attacks and take all necessary measures to prevent the extrajudicial killing of those aboard these boats—regardless of the accusations made against them.” The Trump administration claims that the United States is acting within the framework of an “armed conflict” with drug cartels, which it has designated as terrorist organizations. However, international law and U.S. constitutional experts argue that this justification has no legal basis. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) stressed that there is no credible evidence of an armed conflict between U.S. forces and drug cartels that would meet the criteria of warfare under international law. In a letter to the U.S. government earlier in October, the UN human rights chief wrote that combating drug trafficking is a law enforcement matter, and that the use of lethal force is only permissible in situations involving an imminent threat to life.