Was boat attack a war crime? Extrajudicial killings violate international law

[struggle4progress]

Attack raises serious questions about president’s legal authority for lethal strikes against suspected drug traffickers

Alex Woodward in New York
Wednesday 03 September 2025 18:24 EDT

... “There is zero evidence of self-defense here. Looks like a massacre of civilians at sea,” according to Adam Isacson, director for defense oversight at research and advocacy group, Washington Office on Latin America. “Even if they had drugs aboard, that’s not a capital offense.”

Lethal force against civilians in international waters “is a war crime if not in self-defense,” according to Isacson. “‘Not yielding to pursuers’ or ‘suspected of carrying drugs’ doesn’t carry a death sentence” ...

Even if one were to accept the administration’s framing of the attack, “this action is legally questionable under both U.S. and international law,” according to Juan S. Gonzalez, a former National Security Council official under Joe Biden.

“As it stands, the administration is claiming authority to sink any vessel it ‘deems’ tied to drug trafficking. That’s a slippery slope,” he said. “Without checks, the U.S. risks killing fishermen, migrants, or other civilians… and we’d just have to take the [administration] at its word” ...

https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-venezuela-drug-boat-attack-video-b2819566.html

[struggle4progress]

1. Strike on boat from Venezuela

NBC News
Sep 2, 2025

The White House released video of a lethal strike on a boat in the southern Caribbean

[marble falls]

2. Are we in a declared war with Venezuela? It was a crime: piracy, murder. assault .......

[Jack Valentino]

3. This doesn't look like a "hill to die on", with everything else that is going on...

[struggle4progress]

6. A murky legal issue

By Mariam Khan
September 3, 2025, 7:36 PM

... the White House and Pentagon and State Department officials have not explained how the military determined that those aboard the vessel were Tren de Aragua members. Nor has the administration explained the legal authority used to justify the strike or whether U.S. forces attempted to communicate or even warn the passengers on the boat.

The strike killed 11 people, all of whom were "bad" actors, Trump said. The president also posted a short video clip of a small vessel appearing to explode in flames ...

"It gives us legal authorities to target them in ways you can't do if they're just a bunch of criminals. It's no longer a law enforcement issue. It becomes a national security issue," Rubio said in an interview last month.

But some experts suggest the designation is legally murky. The FTO designation does not typically constitute an authorization to use deadly force and is primarily a tool to restrict financial and material support to terrorist groups ...

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/white-house-grounds-strike-alleged-drug-boat-murky/story?id=125225186

[struggle4progress]

9. Was fatal US strike on 'drug boat' legal?

A strike carried out by US forces on a boat in the Caribbean Sea - which the White House says killed 11 drug traffickers - may have violated international human rights and maritime law, legal experts have told BBC Verify.

The US is not a signatory to United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, but the Department of Defense has previously said the US should “act in a manner consistent with its provisions”, external.

“Force can be used to stop a boat but generally this should be non-lethal measures,” said Luke Moffett of Queens University Belfast, and the use of aggressive tactics must be “reasonable and necessary in self-defence”.

Prof Moffett also says the use of force could amount to an “extrajudicial arbitrary killing” and “a fundamental violation of human rights” ...

https://www.bbc.com/news/live/c20700nnwz7t?post=asset%3A4063c747-a76e-4344-8c95-d7f9d29ca67e

[1WorldHope]

11. What do you mean?

This is meant for the post that said that this is not a bill to die on. It won't post where I meant it to be.

[BWdem4life]

22. That's their plan. Spray so much shit around we can't possibly stop it all.

But someday a court needs to rule on it and the people responsible need to face justice.

[HoosierDebbie]

4. Looks like murder to me

[UpInArms]

5. Gonna wage a war on Venezuela?

WTaF

Morons … I’m surrounded by morons ….

[RockRaven]

7. War crime? What war? That's just a crime crime.

Perhaps some certain people need reminding that "just following orders" and "my superior told me it was legal" are not going to succeed as defenses if/when it gets to the point of actually needing a defense strategy/argument.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

8. Were there children in the boat?

[Melon]

12. I think the American people...don't care.

Drugs kill millions in the US. 11 from Venezuela die smuggling drugs…mehhh…nobody will care.

Venezuela is avoiding any conflict with the US by claiming it’s AI generated.

I believe it was drugs and drugs smugglers. The US gets good intel. They’ve capture numerous of the same boat etc already this year. America as a nation are not going to condemn killing drug smugglers.

[Justice matters.]

21. What you're saying is like, 'America' doesn't care about killing humans without evidence

provided? What kind of a Fascist country thinks like that? Without 'Due Process' such conduct is called 'murder' and when there are multiple "Due Process-less' dead bodies, that's called 'mass murders' without any evidence of any wrongdoings done shown.

So what you're saying is 'America' needs to learn about Justice matters.

[Jack Valentino]

24. It was already very clear that most Americans need to learn more about 'justice matters',

before THIS happened.... since most seemed to have voted for a convicted FELON...

[LeftInTX]

13. It is. But nobody is gonna do anything about it.

[James48]

14. We need to be keeping track and documenting these war crimes.

What ship was involved? Who is the Captain? Who authorized the shot? What orders were given by whom authorizing the murder of 11 people?

Does it lead back to Hegseth? To Trump? To Rubio?

These crimes must be recorded- documented- posted on a website - for use in future criminal trials.

[B.See]

15. Wouldn't be his first war crime and

certainly not his last.

[Warpy]

16. I think it was extremely ill considered

They could have boarded that thing instead of blowing those guys away like that.

After all, those packages didn't have to contain drugs, could have been money. However, the thing I find most likely given the direction the boat was headed is dried shark's fin. There's a bloody business going on in the Caribbean Sea of people cutting the dorsal fins off live sharks and leaving the sharks to die slowly. The fins are worth quite a lot of money in Asia, where they are turned into a gelatinous soup.

Whatever they were up to, that boat had a lot of speed but not much range.

[BadgerMom]

17. We're way to glib about this.

Yes, no elected US official will do anything right now. Is there a statute of limitations for murder? For war crimes? I know we’re exhausted from all of the other criminal malfeasance, but we have to stay outraged so that at some point we can push for action on this criminality. Trump will die. Hegseth and Rubio are much younger. It’s not okay.

[2na fisherman]

18. "I know nothing about it"

If there is ever any legal accountability as a result of this fatal Naval strike, Trump will say he didn't do it and throw Rubio or Hegseth under the bus. But Trump should be more worried about Maduro taking matters into his own bloody hands. He will look weak if he doesn't do something about Trump's act of war against Venezuela.

[rubbersole]

19. They're after their oil that they don't intend to pay for.

[C Moon]

20. Next stop, Greenland.

[uponit7771]

23. Yes, we have to take a convicts word for it that they were carrying drugs