UN experts say Murderous US strike on vessel violated Right to Life

United Nations human rights experts said Tuesday that a US strike on a vessel alleged to be operated by “narco-terrorists” violated the right to life. The statement follows the deadly incident in which two civilian boats were attacked on the high seas.

The experts said the vessel strikes were conducted without sufficient evidence that loss of life was necessary, or that less lethal means had been attempted. They warned that the action may constitute extrajudicial killing under international human rights law.

They said the attacks followed a classified order signed by the US President in August 2025 authorising military force in foreign territory or international waters against Latin American drug cartels designated by Washington as terrorist organisations.

The UN experts stressed that under international law, “the use of potentially lethal force is only permitted in personal self-defence or defence of others against an imminent threat to life.” They noted there was “no evidence” of an armed attack that would justify national self-defence and stressed that the law of the sea requires a law-enforcement rather than a military approach. The experts urged the US to conduct a full, independent investigation into the killings.

The US justified the strikes by referring to the vessels’ alleged role in narcotics trafficking. President Donald Trump said on social media that US forces conducted a “SECOND Kinetic Strike against positively identified, extraordinarily violent drug trafficking cartels and narcoterrorists” in international waters, killing three men he described as terrorists. He warned, “If you are transporting drugs that can kill Americans, we are hunting you.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote on X that the vessel was operated by a designated narco-terrorist organization and warned that similar actions could follow. [MORE]