Volker Turk, head of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCR), became the first UN agency to fully condemn the US attack in a statement on Friday.
“These attacks and their increasing human cost are unacceptable,” Turk said. “The United States must stop these attacks and take all necessary steps to prevent the extrajudicial killings of those aboard these boats, regardless of the alleged criminal activity.”
Speaking on behalf of the Turkish president at a regular UN briefing, Spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani said UN officials believed Washington’s actions violated international human rights law and called for a “prompt, independent and transparent investigation”.
US President Donald Trump has justified the attacks on the boats as a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs into the US, but the campaign against drug cartels is divided among regional countries, Al Jazeera reported.
His increasingly belligerent approach to Venezuela and Colombia, both led by left-wing governments, suggests that the former may have ulterior motives, perhaps even “regime change.”
The United States has recently significantly strengthened its military presence in the region, sending an aircraft carrier strike group to the region, sparking speculation that it may seek to overthrow the Venezuelan government.
MNA