Latin America

Publications22 September 2026

Killing “narco-terrorists” at sea: The legality of military attacks on criminal groups and drug trafficking under international human rights law and other applicable international law

The UN Special Rapporteur concludes that US military attacks against people suspected of drug trafficking cannot be justified under international law and may constitute crimes against humanity.

News21 September 2026

Civil society warns of high risks from proposed herbicide spraying of coca crops in Colombia — Dialogue with the UN SR on toxics and human rights at HRC63

Dejusticia, Elementa and IDPC denounce plans to resume the use of hazardous herbicides in eradication efforts due to serious risks to rights, environment and communities' livelihoods.

Events

The U.S. 'war on drugs' meets the 'war on terror': Lawless killings overseas while communities suffer at home

New York City, United States

2 September 2026

As the US intensifies its militarised approach to drug policy in the name of 'narcoterrorism', the Drug Policy Alliance and the Center for Constitutional Rights discuss how this framing legitimises state violence and undermines human rights.

Publications29 July 2026

Killing Spree: Extrajudicial executions in the U.S. boat strikes campaign

WOLA documents how the US' lethal bombing campaign amounts to extrajudicial execution, has had little impact on cocaine trafficking, and demands an immediate end and accountability.

Publications20 July 2026

Counter-terrorism law, organised crime and human rights — Submission to the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and counter-terrorism

IDPC, CELS, HRI and WOLA warn that conflating drug trafficking with terrorism enables unlawful military action, weakens human rights protections and restricts civil society space.

Publications16 July 2026

Legal protection for coca - Genetics, human rights, Indigenous knowledge, cultural heritage and the coca leaf: exploring the legal options for safeguards

TNI explores viable ways to safeguard the genetic resources, cultural heritage and Indigenous knowledge of the coca leaf, as well as to protect legal markets from risks of misappropriation, biopiracy and corporate capture.

News12 July 2026

The sacred Indigenous origins of the coca leaf

Indigenous communities are reclaiming the coca leaf’s sacred origins and challenging decades of international control, criminalisation and stigma.

Publications6 July 2026

Extra punishment: Violence against women in the fight against organised crime

The Working Group on Women and Incarceration in Latin America analyses how the fight against organised crime affects women in contact with prison systems, as well as their families and children.

Events

'From waiting in line, to the United Nations': Families of people deprived of liberty as rights holders and key actors in crime prevention and social reintegration

Vienna, Austria / Online

3 June 2026

This side event at centres the rights and experiences of families of people deprived of liberty, highlighting the impact of incarceration on women, children and adolescents.

News28 May 2026

More than 120 organizations demand an end to the complicity of third countries in US extrajudicial killings in the Caribbean

The global coalition argues that the US's attacks on small boats are illegal under international law and devastating to the ecnomies of coastal communities.

News13 May 2026

‘We were terrified they were going to kill us’: fishers who survived US boat strike speak out

Amid mounting concern over extrajudicial killings and abuses carried out in the name of the 'war on drugs', survivors' stories underscore the deadly risk of the US campaign against 'narcoterrorism'.

Publications12 May 2026

Contributions from the Working Group on Women, Drug Policy and Incarceration

The Working Group on Women, Drug Policy and Incarceration analyses how punitive drug policies have driven the incarceration of women in Latin America and proposes gender-sensitive and intersectional responses.

Explore more content