GEORGETOWN – APNU Leader Aubrey Norton has delivered a fierce condemnation of the United States’ ongoing military strikes against suspected narco-trafficking boats offshore Venezuela, asserting that his party “would find it difficult to support such actions” that circumvent the judicial process. Norton’s stance places the APNU firmly against the use of lethal force outside the confines of international law.
Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Norton acknowledged that the APNU is anti-drug trafficking and wishes to see the illicit activity eliminated. However, he drew a critical line, citing the reported deaths of more than 20 persons thus far and the absence of any arrest or trial.
“The rule of law should prevail, both at the local level and at the international level. I do not think that anybody should be bombed just because they are labeled as narco-traffickers,” Norton stated.
Capture, Not Carnage
The Leader argued that the U.S. has the necessary resources and capacity to pursue a legal approach rather than a military one. “In fact, I believe that the United States has the capacity to capture them and bring them to trial.”
Norton’s comments align with international legal experts and human rights advocates who have criticized the strikes as potential violations of the UN Charter and the Law of the Sea. Experts have stressed that drug traffickers are fundamentally criminals who should be captured, not combatants who can be summarily killed.
Norton emphasized the political and diplomatic dangers: “I cannot ever support a situation where a sovereign state bombs people in a another sovereign state over so called drug trafficking. The APNU will have difficulty supporting that.” The statement highlights the APNU’s refusal to condone what critics are labeling as extrajudicial execution, even in the name of counter-narcotics efforts.
