Extrajudicial Killings at Sea: WED Denounces Second U.S. Attack of 15 September 2025

The World Embassy Desk (WED) strongly denounces the second attack carried out by the United States on 15 September against a Venezuelan vessel in international waters. This renewed act of force, resulting in the death of three individuals, reinforces a pattern of conduct that violates the United Nations Charter, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and the most basic guarantees of international human rights law.

The repetition of such strikes demonstrates a continuing disregard for Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which safeguards the inherent right to life. Once again, alleged suspects were deprived of due process, judicial scrutiny, and the fundamental presumption of innocence. Resorting to lethal force against a vessel on the high seas, absent imminent threat, amounts to a deliberate extrajudicial execution under international law.

The WED underscores that the repetition of such acts causes harm far beyond the immediate loss of life. Each strike weakens trust in the rule of law, diminishes the standing of multilateral institutions, and risks opening the door for other states to use unilateral force at sea. The actions of a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council in ignoring these obligations gravely undermine confidence in the rule-based international order.

The WED calls upon the international community to take urgent steps to halt further unlawful operations and to restore respect for international law and the credibility of global governance.