UN Says US Operation in Venezuela Violated Fundamental Principle of International Law

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has said that the United States’ operation in Venezuela showed “disregard for a fundamental principle of international law.”

Speaking to journalists in Geneva, UN human rights spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani said, “No state should threaten or use force against the territorial integrity or political independence of another state.”

The criticism followed an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, where several US allies also voiced opposition to President Donald Trump’s military action. France took one of the strongest positions against the operation.

France’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, Jay Dharmadhikari, said the detention of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro by the United States was “contrary to the principle of peaceful settlement of disputes and the principle of non-use of force.”

China, for the fourth consecutive day, reiterated its opposition to what it described as Trump’s “reckless” move.

Earlier, members of the UN Security Council strongly condemned the US operation in Venezuela, in which President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Adela Flores, were abducted.