RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF THE BOLIVARIAN REVOLUTIONARY GOVERNMENT AND PEOPLES OF VENEZUELA

The National Conference of Black Lawyers (NCBL) joins both domestic and international organizations in denouncing and condemning the Trump administration’s covert actions and threats of using armed force against Venezuela. We agree with the United Nations experts and other organizations that these coercive interventions in Venezuela by the United States, violate the country’s sovereignty and the United Nations Charter. Whereas the Charter asserts:

All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any State, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations (Article 2(4).1

Furthermore, the High Commissioner for HR indicates:

The threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any State (country) and any attempt to impose regime change by external means also infringes upon the right to self-determination, as recognized in Article 1 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), ratified by the United States in 1992.2

It is outrageous that since August 2025, the authoritarian regime of Donald Trump, under the guise of allegedly stopping drug cartel interdictions in international waters, has authorized the military to carry out at least twenty-one bombing strikes against boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific. These interdictions have resulted in the extrajudicial killings of at least 83 people, including two people who were murdered on September 2, 2025, under the authority of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who commanded military personnel to “kill everybody” on board after the two persons survived the bomb attacks of their sinking vessel.3.

The Trump administration has yet to provide credible evidence to justify these heinous crimes on the high seas. In addition, even the United States and international intelligence assessments have not provided any evidence that Venezuela is a major source of drugs that enter the United States.

As the United States has carried out numerous global assaults against the sovereignty of nations, including those in the region, we have experience with these types of bullying tactics, such as regime change strategies and coercive economic measures which ignore the norms and core values of international law.

NCBL throughout its history has championed both domestic and international struggles against US imperialism. NCBL is aware of the United States’ long history of interventions in Latin America. Therefore, it supports the Bolivarian Revolutionary Government and Peoples of Venezuela in their struggles against all assaults by the United States.

NCBL encourage its members to join with demonstrations in their areas in opposition to this internationally condemned violation of the sovereignty of Venezuela.

NCBL joins with other organizations to demand that the Congress of the United States, fully investigate Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and all orders issued that have resulted in the deaths of people in international waters surrounding Venezuela.

NCBL further demands that congress make the report public. Further, if the results of the investigation suggest that crimes may have been committed, the report shall be provided to the appropriate prosecutorial office.

NCBL encourages its members to share this resolution broadly and to urge others to support the Venezuelan people against the internationally condemned actions of the United States Government.

Notes

1 UN experts condemn coercive intervention in Venezuela by the United States. October 21, 2025. Retrieved November 1, 2025. From https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/10/un-experts-condemn-coercive-intervention-venezuela-united-states

2 United Nations. Codification Division, Office of Legal Affairs, © United Nations 2025. Retrieved December 1, 2025. From https://legal.un.org/repertory/art2/english/rep_supp7_vol1_art2_4.pdf

3 United Nations. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Retrieved (n.d.). From https://www.ohchr.org/en/ohchr_homepage

4Meyer, J. (November 28, 2025). Are Trump’s Venezuelan boat strikes legal? USA Today. Retrieved December 1, 2025. From https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/11/28/trump-venezuela-boat-strikes-legal-illegal/87470197007/