Storyline: A group of United Nations rights experts said Tuesday that the United States' use of lethal force in international waters without proper legal basis and reparations for covert or direct military action against Venezuela violate the Latin American country's sovereignty, the United Nations Charter and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. These actions also violate the fundamental international obligations not to intervene in the domestic affairs or threaten to use armed force against another country, said the independent experts who were mandated by the UN Human Rights Council. These moves are an extremely dangerous escalation with grave implications for peace and security in the Caribbean region, they said. U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered strikes on seven vessels off the coast of Venezuela since September in the name of choking the flow of drugs from Latin America to the United States, killing at least 27 people but the U.S. has provided no evidence that the people killed were drug smugglers. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has repeatedly condemned Washington's actions as an attempt at government change and military expansion in Latin America. Earlier this month, the UN Security Council convened an emergency session at the request by Venezuela, where the country's ambassador to the UN accused the U.S. of taking actions that threaten peace both in Venezuela and across the region. Shotlist: FILE: UN Headquarters, New York City - Date Unknown: 1. UN emblem 2. UN flag UN Headquarters, New York City - Sept 23, 2025: 3. Various of UN headquarters FILE: Caracas, Venezuela - Date Unknown: 4. Various of city view, traffic 5. Venezuelan national flag FILE: Caracas, Venezuela - Aug 2025: 6. Various of pedestrians FILE: Caracas, Venezuela - May 10, 2019: 7. National flag of Venezuela FILE: Caracas, Venezuela - May 2023: 8. Traffic FILE: Caracas, Venezuela - Date Unknown: 9. Various of city view, traffic Caracas, Venezuela - Oct 6, 2025: 10. Various of protesters marching, holding placards, banners, chanting slogans 11. Venezuela flag, UN flag 12. Various of protesters marching, holding placards, banners, chanting slogans FILE: Washington D.C., USA - Date Unknown: 13. Various of White House FILE: Washington D.C., USA - Oct 2024: 14. Various of Capitol building, U.S. national flag. [Restrictions : No access Chinese mainland]