Caracas (EFE). – Venezuelan Interior and Justice Minister Diosdado Cabello denied Thursday that the boat destroyed by the United States at sea last week was linked to drug traffickers or members of the transnational criminal organization Tren de Aragua.
“We have conducted investigations in our country, and the families of missing persons are claiming their relatives. When we ask in the towns, none of them are from Tren de Aragua, nor are they drug traffickers or carrying drugs,” stated Cabello during a plenary session of the ruling party, broadcast by the state channel Venezolana de Televisión (VTV).
“(The) imperialism confessed to murdering 11 people without trial, justifying it by claiming the victims were from the Tren de Aragua. How did they identify them? Did they have a chip or QR code they read from above, in the dark?” the Venezuelan official added.
The US government has said the boat shot on Sep 2 was transporting illegal narcotics, but has provided scant further information about the incident, even amid demands from members of the US Congress.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said after the attack that Trump “is prepared to use every element of American power to stop drugs from flooding into our country and to bring those responsible to justice.”
Amnesty International said last week it was ”deeply alarmed by the US government’s claimed strike against a small boat allegedly departed from Venezuela, which reportedly resulted in the deaths of 11 individuals.”
“The circumstances surrounding the incident raise serious questions about the legality, accountability, and respect for international human rights law,” it added
AI’s US director for Security with Human Rights, Daphne Eviatar, warned that if the use of force was not justified, “the strike would constitute a clear violation of the right to life under international human rights law and set a dangerous precedent.” EFE
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