US strikes on alleged drug boats could be crimes against humanity, says UN
A UN report claims that US airstrikes against alleged drug traffickers in the Caribbean and Pacific may constitute crimes against humanity. The report argues these strikes lack legal justification under international law.
Why it matters
The findings challenge the legality of US counter-narcotics operations and raise significant questions regarding international human rights standards.
Image source, Reuters Image caption, The report comes two days after the US military released these pictures of an attack on alleged traffickers in the Caribbean
A UN report has concluded that recent US airstrikes on vessels allegedly trafficking drugs breached international law and could constitute crimes against humanity.
The report by Special Rapporteur Ben Saul said since September last year there had been at least 68 US strikes in the Caribbean and Pacific, outside US territorial waters, which killed more than 220 people.
Saul said that even if targets could be identified as members of designated terrorist groups, they had not staged an armed attack on the US which would trigger a right to self-defence under international law.
The report comes two days after the US military said it killed four people in a strike on a vessel in the Caribbean.
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