Last week, three United Nations specialists in human rights, extrajudicial executions, and the international order issued a statement denouncing the United States’s actions against Venezuela. The experts decried the covert and clandestine actions the U.S. is employing while condemning the history of similar interventions and the lasting harm the United States has done over decades in Latin America.
The experts warn of the dangers of the U.S. military buildup, that the recent announcements by the White House regarding the use of lethal force in international waters are without legal justification, and that possible covert or direct military action against Venezuela constitutes a violation of the UN Charter. They essentially called out the United States for fabricating enemies to justify a supposed right to defense, resulting in extrajudicial murder in the Caribbean.
“Covert action and threats of using armed force against the Government of Venezuela by the United States violate Venezuela’s sovereignty and the UN Charter,” the statement begins.
According to the statement, the experts have been in contact with the United States and have urged leaders to “cease unlawful attacks and threats, respect international law, and reaffirm its commitment to multilateralism,” and continued to prompt them to adhere to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. A request that the administration seems willing to ignore, based on the deployment of the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford and its strike group to the Caribbean.
“The long history of external interventions in Latin America must not be repeated,” the experts said. “The lessons from history must be learned and not repeated. The international community must stand firm in defending the rule of law, dialogue, and the peaceful settlement of disputes.”
The USS Ford’s carrier group, which includes five destroyers and is currently deployed to the Mediterranean Sea, adds to the additional troops sent to Trinidad and Tobago. The USS Gravely, which will later be followed by the U.S. Marine Corps’ 22nd Expeditionary Unit, is officially in Trinidad and Tobago to conduct military exercises over several days and is set to leave on Oct. 30. It should be noted that Trinidad is just 7 miles from the Venezuelan coast at its nearest point.
The statement from the UN experts came just three days after the UN Security Council warned of “mounting risks” to regional peace after the extrajudicial killings of alleged drug smugglers and fishermen.
The three experts are George Katrougalos, an independent expert on promoting a democratic and equitable international order; Ben Saul, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism; and Morris Tidball-Binz, Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions.
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