Law of Armed Conflict and War Crimes

Families of Trinidadian fishermen Chad Joseph and Rishi Samaroo have filed the first U.S. federal wrongful‑death suit (in Massachusetts) — brought by the ACLU and Center for Constitutional Rights — alleging the Oct. 14 U.S. missile strike off Venezuela that killed six was an unlawful, extrajudicial killing and seeking damages under the Death on the High Seas Act, the Alien Tort Statute and admiralty law while naming President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. The filing comes amid a U.S. maritime campaign of roughly three dozen strikes since September 2025 that officials say target “narcoterrorists” (the administration defends the actions), even as Trinidad’s government says it has no information linking the victims to illegal activity; reporting also notes some operations used aircraft painted to resemble civilian planes.