“Murder as Policy”: Amnesty Int’l Decries U.S. Strikes on Latin American Boats as Death Toll Tops 200

More than 200 people have now been killed in U.S. military strikes on boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific. Since September, the Pentagon has struck more than 60 vessels, claiming, without evidence, that the boats were engaged in “narco-trafficking” operations. Human rights groups have roundly condemned the attacks as extrajudicial killings.

“The U.S. is not in active conflict with any of these groups,” says Amanda Klasing, the national director of government relations and advocacy at Amnesty International USA. “These are law enforcement operations, … so the individuals on these boats have a right to life and a right to due process.”