UN Experts Warn US Actions on Venezuela’s Airspace Violate International Law

According to the experts, the US President’s declaration comes amid a wider pattern of heightened military posturing in the Caribbean.

UN human rights and international law experts voiced serious alarm over mounting pressure from the United States on Venezuela, following a recent declaration by the US President claiming that Venezuela’s airspace should be regarded as “closed.” According to the experts, this statement represents not only a diplomatic escalation but also a direct challenge to long-standing norms governing sovereignty, territorial rights and the lawful use of force.

International law clearly establishes that each State has full and exclusive sovereignty over the airspace above its territory. The experts referenced Article 1 of the 1944 Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation, stressing that no country has the authority to restrict or unilaterally declare closure of another nation’s airspace. They further pointed to Article 2 of the UN Charter, which prohibits threats or uses of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any State.

The experts also recalled the International Court of Justice’s landmark ruling in Nicaragua v. United States (1986), wherein the Court affirmed the principles of non-use of force, non-intervention and territorial inviolability as foundational to the international legal order. Any unilateral measure affecting a foreign State’s airspace, they noted, could amount to a breach of sovereignty and potentially constitute an illegal threat of force.

According to the experts, the US President’s declaration comes amid a wider pattern of heightened military posturing in the Caribbean. They highlighted recent announcements hinting at possible future operations inside Venezuelan territory as well as lethal US activities at sea. These include strikes on vessels suspected of drug trafficking—operations that have resulted in the deaths of more than 80 civilians across at least 21 attacks. Such incidents, they emphasized, constitute serious violations of the right to life and contravene the international law of the sea. They called for independent investigations and prosecutions of those responsible for these extrajudicial killings.

The diplomatic fallout is already affecting civilian mobility. Six international airlines have suspended flights to Caracas after the US Federal Aviation Administration issued a warning about “potentially hazardous” conditions in Venezuelan airspace, citing escalating security concerns and increased military activity. The UN experts warned that these suspensions could further isolate Venezuela economically, aggravate humanitarian pressures and undermine regional stability.

They stressed that unilateral declarations by the United States have no legal effect over Venezuelan sovereignty and condemned the broader implications of such actions for Latin America, a region historically marked by external interventions. The experts urged Washington to refrain from measures that may further escalate tensions and called for adherence to the UN Charter, the Chicago Convention and established principles of customary international law.

They reiterated that peace, non-intervention and respect for territorial sovereignty remain essential to preventing deterioration in an already fragile regional landscape. Renewed diplomatic engagement, de-escalation and compliance with international legal obligations, they noted, are the only legitimate pathways to stability.