Amnesty International warned on Wednesday that the U.S. military's boat bombing campaign in the eastern Pacific is normalizing extrajudicial killings as the death toll approaches 200 since September 2025, according to a tally maintained by The Intercept's Nick Turse. The latest strikes on Tuesday and Wednesday killed three people, bringing the total to 197.

197 deaths in six months: The Intercept tally

According to The Intercept's Nick Turse, who has been tracking the strikes, the death toll has reached 197 since September 2025. U.S. Southern Command described the operations as "lethal kinetic strikes" against vessels oprated by Designated Terrorist Organizations, based on intelligence of narco-trafficking routes. Amnesty International's national director for government relations, Amanda Klasing, said the killings are illegal under both US and international law and immoral.

Congress has so far failed to halt or even slow down the campaign , Amnesty noted. The human toll is staggering, with nearly 200 individuals arbitrarily deprived of their right to life.

Amnesty's two-part demand: Suspend intelligence sharing and arms exports

Amnesty's Americas director, Ana Piquer, called for urgent international action:governments in the region and the Organization of American States should speak out firmly, suspend intelligence sharing that may contribute to these operations, and suspend export licenses for defense material that could be used to perpetuate these murders. "The international community must recognize that these actions constitute a serious threat to human rights and respect for international law," Piquer said, as reported by Amnesty.

The families seeking justice: Chad Joseph and Rishi Samaroo

Among the victims are two Trinidadian men, Chad Joseph and Rishi Samaroo, killed by a US strike in October 2025. Samaroo's sister, Sallycar Korasingh, told Amnesty that her brother was a hardworking man who had paid his debt to society and was trying to get back on his feet. She demanded accountability: if the US government believed he had done anything wrong, it should have arrested and charged him, not murdered him. These accounts highlight the lack of due process before lethal action was taken.

Congress's silence as the toll approaches 200

Amnesty's warning underscores the erosion of legal protections and the normalization of state-sponsored violence. The Trump administration's unilateral designation of individuals as criminals or terrorists and subsequent lethal action without due process sets a dangerous precedent. The report says that Congress has failed to intervene, raising questions about why lawmakers have not exercised oversight. The 200th death may come any week ; without a congessional hearing or international condemnation, the campaign may continue with impunity.