The United States ignored, violated laws and protocols in the execution of people in a high-seas attack on a boat

Published at: 03/09/2025 08:26 PM

The administration of the United States Government, led by its President Donald Trump, ignored, violated laws and protocols, during the sinking of a boat in international waters that allegedly left 11 dead.

Trump reported, in statements to the media, that “they literally shot down a boat carrying a large quantity of drugs”, which was sailing through the Caribbean Sea and that supposedly left Venezuela heading for the United States.

This action is a clear violation of international law and a fundamental principle of the right to life, by not capturing, detaining and trying citizens who were on the boat.

It should be noted that the White House did not explain how the North American Naval Forces determined that the vessel came from Venezuelan territory, loaded with drugs or what procedure was used to identify the “cartel” in charge of the transfer, nor the nationalities of those who were on board the boat.

It is also a clear violation of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (1982) since the United States Government has no right to sink a civilian vessel on the high seas. Intervention is only allowed in cases of piracy, slave trade or ships without flags.

In addition, it violates the 1988 Vienna Convention on the Fight against Illicit Drug Traffic, which states that it was up to the authorities to undertake international cooperation, boarding and arrest.

In addition, Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations (UN) states that the use of force is justified only in self-defense. Meanwhile, clinging to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the right to life and to a fair trial was violated. No suspicion of drug trafficking authorizes the application of the death penalty at sea.

The execution of citizens who were on the boat, violations of the United States' own legal framework: Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act, which allows for arrest and prosecution.

On the other hand, the Constitution of the United States itself, in the 5th Amendment: enshrines due process. While the War Powers Resolution reveals that there was no authorization from Congress, which authorizes the “use of armed force” outside the United States.

In 2018, the International Criminal Court opened a preliminary examination against Rodrigo Duterte, then president of the Philippines, for extrajudicial executions in his so-called “war on drugs”.

Mazo News Team