UN expert tells Third Committee the United States has unlawfully killed at least 239 people in attacks on vessels

Independent human rights experts appointed by the United Nations warned the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) of a new “war on narco-terrorism” that they say is fuelling unlawful killings. They also reported on mass displacement, the separation of migrant children from their families and pressure on judges and lawyers.

Ben Saul, the Special Rapporteur on human rights while countering terrorism, named the United States. “In the past year, the United States has unlawfully killed at least 239 people in 71 military attacks on civilian vessels at sea”, he said. He added: “These serial extrajudicial killings gravely violate the right to life and are a systematic attack on civilians amounting to crimes against humanity”. He called for those responsible to be held accountable.

Mr. Saul said at least 15 countries, mostly in the Americas, have recently designated 39 criminal groups as terrorist organizations. He said this widens the use of exceptional security measures and could bring travel bans, asset freezes and refoulement, the forced return of people to places where they face danger. He also criticized military aggression in Venezuela and Ecuador's authorization of a “shoot to kill” approach against criminal groups designated as terrorist. “This new war on ‘narco-terrorism’ is not effective in reducing drugs or violence, and can make both worse”, he said. He urged States to invest in poverty reduction, public services, development and evidence-based prevention.

Paula Gaviria Betancur, the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons, reported that more than 82 million people are internally displaced worldwide by conflict, violence and disasters. She said this is the second-highest number ever recorded. She put reconstruction needs at more than $71 billion in Gaza, $11 billion in Lebanon, $216 billion in Syria and $588 billion in Ukraine.

Gehad Madi, the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, said detention, deportation and restrictive border policies continue to tear migrant families apart. “Family unity saves lives and serves as an essential protective factor for children in situations of migration”, he said. “Immigration detention of children is never in their best interests”, he added. He urged Governments to prohibit immigration detention of children and families.

Margaret Satterthwaite, the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, said justice systems that try to enforce climate commitments face intimidation, political interference and powerful economic opposition. “Fossil fuel companies systematically manufacture doubts about climate science, target their critics and wage war on effective climate action”, she said.

Delegations answered in the interactive dialogue. Malaysia's representative accused Israel of obstructing reconstruction in Gaza by restricting building materials and equipment. Israel's delegate rejected that, pointing to Hamas' use of human shields. Iran's representative rejected allegations that his country targets civilians. Yemen's delegate said over 217,000 people had been internally displaced since September and blamed Houthi militias. Azerbaijan's delegate said over $16 billion had been allocated to rebuild conflict-affected towns, enabling over 100,000 people to return. Syria's representative said Government policies had facilitated the return of approximately 2 million displaced people.

The summary of the meeting does not record any reply from the United States to Mr. Saul's figures. Morris Tidball-Binz, the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, and Prasad Kariyawasam, Chair of the Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, also briefed the Committee. The summary does not give their remarks. The experts' figures are their own. The sources do not show how they were counted.