By Jasper Ward
(Reuters) -U.S. strikes against Venezuela in international waters are a dangerous escalation and amount to "extrajudicial executions," a group of independent United Nations experts said on Tuesday.
In recent months, U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered strikes on at least six suspected drug vessels in the Caribbean, killing at least 27 people.
The strikes are part of Trump's ongoing campaign against what he says is a "narcoterrorist" threat emanating from Venezuela and linked to its president, Nicolas Maduro.
The U.N. experts acknowledged Trump's justification for the military action, but said: "Even if such allegations were substantiated, the use of lethal force in international waters without proper legal basis violates the international law of the sea and amounts to extrajudicial executions."
The independent experts, who are appointed by the U.N. Human Rights Council, said the strikes violate the South American country's sovereignty and the United States' "fundamental international obligations" not to intervene in domestic affairs or threaten to use armed force against another country.
"These moves are an extremely dangerous escalation with grave implications for peace and security in the Caribbean region," they said in a statement.
Washington rejects Maduro's 2024 election victory and says there was "overwhelming evidence" his opponent won.
"These so-called 'experts' fail to acknowledge the fact that they're advocating for an illegitimate leader who is a fugitive of American justice who undermines our regional security and poisons Americans,” said a senior State Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The United States has justified its actions as consistent with Article 51 of the founding U.N. Charter, which requires the Security Council to be immediately informed of any action states take in self-defense against armed attack.
Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil said the experts have corroborated Caracas' concerns about the U.S. military campaign.
"The United States fabricates enemies to justify a supposed right to self-defense, which results in massacres in the Caribbean," Gil said in a message on Telegram about the U.N. statement.
The U.S. strikes come against the background of a U.S. military buildup in the Caribbean that includes guided-missile destroyers, F-35 fighter jets, a nuclear submarine and around 6,500 troops as Trump escalates a standoff with the Venezuelan government.
Trump said last week that he had also authorized the Central Intelligence Agency to conduct covert operations in Venezuela.
The experts, who said they have been in contact with the U.S. regarding their concerns, said covert or direct military action against another sovereign state would constitute "an even graver breach" of the U.N. Charter.
(Reporting by Jasper Ward; Additional reporting by Vivian Sequera in Caracas; Editing by Michelle Nichols and Daniel Wallis)
