[News] Death Toll From US Extrajudicial Killings Reaches 142, Venezuela Condemns Renewal of US Sanctions Framework

[Anti-Imperialist News]

orinocotribune.com
<https://orinocotribune.com/death-toll-from-us-extrajudicial-killings-reaches-142-venezuela-condemns-renewal-of-us-sanctions-framework/>
Death Toll From US Extrajudicial Killings Reaches 142, Venezuela Condemns
Renewal of US Sanctions FrameworkFebruary 22, 2026
------------------------------

[image: Digital illustration of a speedboat being targeted by the US in a
"kinetic strike" on the high seas. This image was generated using
artificial intelligence (AI) to represent military infrared surveillance
footage released by US Southern Command following its Febuary 20, 2026,
extrajudicial killing. Photo: Orinoco Tribune via Google AI.]

Digital illustration of a speedboat being targeted by the US in a "kinetic
strike" on the high seas. This image was generated using artificial
intelligence (AI) to represent military infrared surveillance footage
released by US Southern Command following its Febuary 20, 2026,
extrajudicial killing. Photo: Orinoco Tribune via Google AI.

Caracas (OrinocoTribune.com <https://orinocotribune.com/>)—US Southern
Command (SOUTHCOM) reported a new lethal strike in the Eastern Pacific on
Friday, bringing the total number of deaths from its “kinetic strikes” on
small boats to 142. The announcement comes as international legal experts
and human rights organizations condemn this US policy, characterizing it as
extrajudicial killings.

In a statement on Friday, February 20, SOUTHCOM reported that its Operation
Southern Spear conducted a “successful kinetic strike” against a small boat
suspected of drug trafficking. The operation resulted in three
assassinations. There were no survivors of the incident, which took place
in international waters.

*Escalation of extrajudicial killings*
While the US military calls these actions necessary counter-narcotics
measures, US and international legal experts label the policy as a campaign
of extrajudicial killings. Critics point out that the use of lethal force
against suspects who do not pose an imminent violent threat violates
international law, human rights, and the right to due process.

US organizations such as the ACLU have noted that SOUTHCOM is acting as
“judge, jury, and executioner” on the high seas. Legal experts have
highlighted that even under the premise of criminal activity, the summary
execution of individuals on civilian boats lacks any legal basis in either
US or international maritime law.

*Statistical analysis of the extrajudicial murders*
According to data tracked
<https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Mh0F1qgfI1dBo0TLKFYeiWjPQzNR6TAY0uOncy9vfSk/edit?usp=sharing>
by Orinoco Tribune, the death toll from these operations has reached a grim
milestone. Since the strikes began in September last year, a total of 142
people have been killed in 42 separate strikes.

The statistical breakdown of the fatalities reveals the geographical scope
of the violence:

• Eastern Pacific: 88 deaths recorded in 29 strikes.
• Caribbean Sea: 54 deaths recorded in 13 strikes.

The deadliest day was February 16, 2026, when three separate US strikes
across both regions resulted in 11 deaths in a single day. The data further
shows a trend of “zero-survivor” outcomes, as search-and-rescue operations
for those missing at sea are frequently terminated shortly after the
strikes occur, with individuals later presumed dead.

*Venezuela condemns renewal of US sanction framework*
On Saturday, February 21, the Venezuelan government issued
<https://t.me/YvanGilPinto/7878> a statement expressing its categorical
condemnation of the renewal
<https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/02/20/2026-03502/continuation-of-the-national-emergency-with-respect-to-venezuela>
of the US “national emergency” regarding Venezuela. This measure, which
labels Venezuela “an unusual and extraordinary threat to US national
security,” was extended by the US government on February 18, 2026.

The renewal continues Executive Order 13692, originally signed on March 8,
2015, by then-President Barack Obama. The Venezuelan government noted that
this measure lacks any objective basis or real justification, and violates
international law. It serves as the legal base for the battery of sanctions
designed by US imperialism to bring about “regime change” in Venezuela.
Most of those illegal sanctions are still in force and have failed to
achieve its main goal.

The unofficial translation of the Venezuelan statement follows:

*The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela categorically rejects the renewal of
the so-called “national emergency” with respect to our country, extended on
February 18, 2026 by the government of the United States, in continuation
of Executive Order 13692, signed on March 8, 2015 by then President Barack
Hussein Obama.*

*From its inception, this instrument was conceived without objective basis
or real justification, based on arguments divorced from truth and
international law, and labeling Venezuela as an “unusual and extraordinary
threat.” Eleven years later, reality confirms what the Bolivarian Republic
of Venezuela has consistently maintained: our country poses no threat
whatsoever to the people or government of the United States, nor to any
nation in the world.*

*The persistence of this measure, born under political premises that do not
correspond to reality, only contributes to maintaining narratives of
confrontation that do not reflect the true historical, cultural and human
ties that should prevail between the Venezuelan and US peoples.*

*The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela urges the government of the United
States to assume a constructive and respectful role in conducting its
international relations, abandon unilateral approaches, and move towards a
stage of mutual respect, frank dialogue based on sovereignty,
non-interference, and the shared benefit of our nations.*

*Caracas, February 21, 2026*

Special for Orinoco Tribune by staff

OT/JRE/SC
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