Jurist UN expert urges US to review domestic and international lethal-force practices

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A UN expert warned on Thursday that excessive and unlawful use of lethal force by US security forces both internationally and domestically is “gravely concerning.”

The report came from Morris Tidball-Binz, Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary, or arbitrary executions. He condemned US official statements indicating a “shoot-to-kill” policy and explained the “absolute and universal prohibition of the arbitrary deprivation of life,” stating:

International law does not allow States to kill on the basis of labels, perceptions of how someone appears, or allegations of wrongdoing. Whether at sea, abroad, or at home, the use of lethal force must be strictly limited by the principles of legality, necessity, proportionality, and precaution, and may be used only as a last resort to protect life.

Tidball-Binz referred to the “scores of deaths” resulting from US military action in Venezuela in early January. He cited other UN reports that claim unprovoked use of force on the territory of another state breaches Article 2(4) of the UN Charter. “Deaths resulting from such an act of aggression are arbitrary by definition,” Tidball-Binz contended, because they have resulted from a breach of international law.

The expert was “particularly troubled” over US strikes on small vessels in the Caribbean and evidence that at least some of these could have been intercepted, rather than destroyed. Between September 2, 2025, and an American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) report in December, the Trump administration ordered 26 lethal strikes on civilian boats, killing 99 people suspected of drug trafficking. In November, the UN stated that these strikes may constitute war crimes.

Trump administration statements on these international violations include a social media post by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that the operations in the Caribbean are “lawful under both US and international law, with all actions in compliance with the law of armed conflict.” Trump has indicated intentions to oversee the Venezuelan government transition. In a recent interview, he pressured interim Venezuelan leader, Delcy Rodríguez, to continue cooperation with the US, threatening that “if she doesn’t do what’s right, she is going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro.”

Domestically, Tidball-Binz expressed his concerns about the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by ICE in Minneapolis on January 7. He stressed that all deaths involving any law enforcement must be investigated in a prompt, thorough, impartial and transparent manner, abiding by the Minnesota Protocol. The Protocol is a UN Manual about the legal obligations of all countries to respect and protect life and investigate suspicious deaths.

President Trump responded to protests following the shooting by threatening to invoke the Insurrection Act and deploy troops to Minneapolis.

The UN expert urged the US to “urgently review” relevant laws and policies regarding the use of force both domestically and internationally, again summarizing the implications. “The right to life is non-derogable and non-negotiable,” he wrote. “States must never normalise a ‘shoot-to-kill’ approach which erodes the strict and absolute limits international law places on the use of lethal force.”

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