UN Expert Finds Trump's Boat Strikes 'Plausibly' Amount to Crimes Against Humanity

Ben Saul, the UN special rapporteur on counterterrorism and human rights, concluded in a report released September 22, 2026, that the administration's strikes on boats it alleges are smuggling drugs amount to an "illegal use" of disproportionate force and "plausibly constitute crimes against humanity," amounting to "serial extrajudicial killings." The report counts 68 vessels struck from September 2025 through August 2026 with at least 223 deaths documented, and says two further September strikes raised the toll to 234 deaths across 70 strikes.

Saul wrote that drug trafficking "is not equivalent to a military attack" and found no evidence the boats had attacked U.S. forces, a threshold he said international law requires before lethal force is justified. The finding, from an expert appointed by the UN Human Rights Council rather than a binding tribunal, adds legal weight to criticism of the strikes, though it carries no power to enforce compliance by U.S. personnel.

The administration maintains the strikes are military operations against drug cartels conducted after legal review, and says they have curbed cocaine trafficking. Saul's report calls for investigations and accountability for commanders; the U.S. is not an ICC member, and the court cannot prosecute American officials without U.S. cooperation.