The United Nations on Dec.1 urged all countries to respect international law safeguarding international civil aviation, following US President Donald Trump's announcement to "completely shut down" Venezuelan airspace.

Speaking at a press briefing, the Secretary-General's spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric asserted that the UN's position remains "consistent"  in calling for "full respect of states' obligations under international law" amid mounting tensions between the US and Venezuela. He added that the Secretary-General remains "gravely concerned" about the strikes on Venezuelan civilian vessels, which the US alleges were involved in drug trafficking.

He also noted reports of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk asserting that the strikes may violate international human rights law, and called for transparent investigations into the attack. Türk described the strikes as "extrajudicial killing," emphasizing that "the intentional use of lethal force is only permissible as a last resort against individuals who pose an imminent threat to life."

UN human rights experts and a former prosecutor for the International Criminal Court, Luis Moreno Ocampo, have additionally claimed that the US airstrikes on boats suspected of smuggling drugs constitute war crimes under international law.

The UN's statement comes as the US has expanded its military operations in the Caribbean, deploying warships, submarines and drones. Since September, the US military has killed at least 83 people in strikes against 22 boats suspected of smuggling drugs. Last week, Trump also said that the US will "very soon" take action against Venezuelan drug traffickers on land. Trump also declared that the US is engaged in an "armed conflict" with drug cartels, suggesting further escalation. Experts, however, have argued that the intention to distribute drugs does not qualify as an armed attack under international humanitarian law.

The strikes come amid the largest US military build-up in the Caribbean since its 1989 invasion of Panama. Meanwhile, the Trump administration has increased pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, accusing him of running the "Cartel of the Suns" drug-trafficking organization, and placing a $50 million bounty on him. The Venezuelan president responded to the US strikes, demanding "unconditional respect" for the country's sovereignty and peace as a fundamental principle. He also strongly rejected Trump's move to close the country's airspace, claiming that it undermines Venezuela's aeronautical security and sovereignty.

Article 1 of the Convention on International Civil Aviation, to which both the US and Venezuela are parties, outlines each state's "complete and exclusive sovereignty over the airspace above its territory." The preamble of the convention further emphasizes the need to avoid friction and to promote cooperation among nations for world peace.

From JURIST, Dec. 2. Used with permission.