Growing concerns are being raised over actions that some say threaten the very foundations of international law, sovereignty, and human rights in the Caribbean.
The Movement for Social Justice is calling attention to what they describe as a disturbing trend of extra-judicial killings, foreign military overreach, and a loss of regional independence under the guise of combatting crime and drug trafficking.
00:00At the heart of the controversy is a call for justice and to process.
00:05The movement for social justice says that anyone suspected of being trafficked must be treated as a victim and afforded legal protection, not summary execution.
00:16They argue that criminals should be prosecuted through the courts, not gunned down in the streets.
00:22The group points out that even in war, summary execution is considered a crime under international law and no state, including the United States, has the right to bypass due process in the name of national interest.
00:36They acknowledge the harsh realities facing our region.
00:40Gangs, drugs and organized crime have claimed countless lives.
00:45That, the MSJ say, has led to unprecedented levels of international cooperation with the US DEA and ATF agents operating in several CARICOM states, including Trinidad and Tobago.
00:58MSJ's head, David Abdullah, says new laws have been passed down line with US and EU frameworks.
01:06Joint intelligence sharing and military training have become the norm.
01:09But, Abdullah says, it has not worked and says the drug trade continues.
01:15And now, the MSJ says, the US has shifted from joint action to unilateral moves.
01:21The MSJ question whether the deployment of US fighter jets to Puerto Rico and even a nuclear submarine to the region is necessary to strop drug-laden speedboats or whether it signals something deeper, a projection of military power under the pretense of counter-narcotic operations.
01:41According to both the UN and the USDA, Venezuela is no longer a major drug producer nor transshipment point.
01:49Then, the MSJ questions why the escalation.
01:53The movement also criticized the silence of regional leaders on global humanitarian crises, noting that no official statements have been made condemning the ongoing genocide in Gaza where tens of thousands of women and children have died.
02:08They also point to the continued US blockade of Cuba, calling it illegal and unjust, and criticized the government for failing to reaffirm its position to Cuba's listing as a state sponsor of terrorism.
02:21And in a sharp rebuke, the MSJ accused Prime Minister Kamala-Passad-Bissasa of aligning too closely with US interests,
02:29especially in expressing support for US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's call for an international coalition against narco-trafficking.
02:37The movement warns that Trinidad and Tobago is at risk of being seen as a pawn in US foreign policy, reminding the public of a long-standing US doctrine.
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