Iran has censured the United States for its extrajudicial killing of suspected drug traffickers, saying the move exposes the true nature of a country that has long lectured others on human rights.
In a post on his X account Deputy Foreign Minister for Political and Legal Affairs Kazem Gharibabadi reacted to reports that the US Defense Department has been forced to investigate claims of the unlawful killing of nearly 200 people as part of operations to strike dozens of boats suspected of drug trafficking in the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific in recent months.
Gharibabadi said the US military carried out the attacks while keeping the American people unaware of any evidence or the identities of the victims and without carrying out any arrests or trials.
Fighting drug trafficking has a legal path investigation arrest evidence trial and due process. Firing on people at sea without trial and without transparency is nothing but extrajudicial killing the very point at which the mask of human rights falls from the face of those who claim to defend it said the diplomat.
Also Read: Malaysia ICJ Israel Flotilla: Kuala Lumpur to Sue Israel Over Abduction and Torture of Activists
Gharibabadi said the United States has effectively turned suspicion into a death sentence by targeting those people at sea adding that Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights recognizes the right to life as a fundamental right.
Washington which has long lectured others on human rights must explain how it has replaced courts with missiles and law with death without trial he said.
The comments come as Gharibabadi has frequently posted in recent weeks to expose the US government’s double standards in dealing with various legal and rights issues.
About The Author
