The UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, supports the opinion of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, that US airstrikes in the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific violate international humanitarian law, a spokesperson for the body said today.
Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesperson for the UN Chief, said at the daily press conference that "none of the individuals on the vessels attacked appeared to represent an imminent threat to the lives of others nor did it appear to justify in any other way the use of lethal armed force against them under international law," echoing Turk.
"We want to ensure that established law enforcement methods are used to handle issues of illegal trafficking at sea," the spokesperson added.
On October 31, Turk stated in a declaration that the United States "must stop such attacks and take all necessary measures to prevent the extrajudicial killings of people on board these vessels, regardless of any criminal charges against them."
On Thursday, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth posted on X that US forces attacked another suspected drug trafficking vessel in the Caribbean, leaving three dead and bringing the total number of vessels destroyed to 18.
