Fishermen in the eastern Caribbean fear for their lives following a deadly US strike
By DÁNICA COTO
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — An organization in St. Vincent and the Grenadines is urging fishermen to take certain precautions after decrying a recent U.S. strike in the eastern Caribbean that killed three people aboard a suspected drug boat.
Winsbert Harry, president of the National Fisherfolk Organization, told St. Vincent’s state television station SVG-TV late Tuesday that he was concerned about the safety of fishermen in the Caribbean.
On Tuesday, the U.S. government announced that it had carried out strikes on three boats including one in the Caribbean Sea, killing three people. Officials did not provide evidence that the boats were ferrying drugs.
St. Lucian Prime Minister Phillip J. Pierre said Monday that his government “is actively engaging through established diplomatic and security channels to verify the facts” after confirming that “people lost their lives.” He declined further comment, including whether at least one of the victims was a fisherman from St. Lucia.
“We will communicate confirmed information to the public promptly and responsibly,” he wrote in a social media post.
Meanwhile, former St. Vincent Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves criticized the strike during his radio show Monday and called on the archipelago’s current leader to make a public statement.
“Even if these persons were involved in drug trafficking, you can’t just kill them,” he said on Star FM. “Everybody is innocent until proven guilty. You cannot be judge, jury and executioner without giving people an opportunity to defend themselves in a court of law.”
Harry, of the fisherfolk organization, noted that the strike comes as the eastern Caribbean prepares for the peak of tuna season, with many fishermen depending on catches for their livelihoods.
He said fishermen should clearly identify their boats and constantly monitor surrounding vessels, especially when they’re at high sea. Harry also warned that visibility is lowest during pre-dawn hours, when fishermen typically set out.
“You never know what could happen,” he said, adding that he and others are fearful about going out.
The U.S. strikes that began in September have killed at least 145 people and rankled some officials in the Caribbean, where many of the strikes have occurred.
One of those strikes killed two fishermen from Trinidad and Tobago in mid-October.
Late last month, the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts announced that relatives of the two fishermen killed were suing the U.S. government “for wrongful death and extrajudicial killing.” It is believed to be the first such wrongful death case since the strikes began last year.
The ACLU said that 26-year-old Chad Joseph and 41-year-old Rishi Samaroo were among the six people killed that day as they returned from Venezuela to their home in Trinidad and Tobago.
“If the U.S. government believed Rishi had done anything wrong, it should have arrested, charged and detained him, not murdered him. They must be held accountable,” said Sallycar Korasingh, Samaroo’s sister, in a statement.
U.S. President Donald Trump has said that the U.S. is in “armed conflict” with drug cartels in Latin America and has justified the ongoing attacks, saying they’re needed to stop the flow of drugs.
Meanwhile critics have questioned the legality of the strikes.
“It is absurd and dangerous for any state to just unilaterally proclaim that a ‘war’ exists in order to deploy lethal military force,” said Baher Azmy, legal director of the Center for Constitutional Rights, in a recent statement. “These are lawless killings in cold blood; killings for sport and killings for theater, which is why we need a court of law to proclaim what is true and constrain what is lawless.”