William Hemmel: The ongoing war crimes against Venezuela need to stop

To The Daily Sun, 

Venezuela: Enough is enough. The events now unfolding should be described plainly and without euphemism.

The use of lethal force on people in small boats, absent evidence or due process, constitutes murder.

The killing of shipwreck survivors meets the legal definition of a war crime under international humanitarian law. The seizure of oil tankers on the high seas is piracy. Retaining the oil taken from those vessels is theft.

The deployment of 150 aircraft to bomb a sovereign nation is not a “limited action” or a “defensive measure”; it is war. The capture and continued detention of a country’s sitting president is kidnapping. Publicly stating an intention to take control of another nation and “run” it amounts to annexation.

These are not policy differences. They are crimes. Each has a clear definition under domestic and international law: Murder, piracy, theft, war, kidnapping, annexation.

The Fox News host — now acting as secretary of “war” — has overseen and enabled each of these acts at the direction of his commander in chief. Responsibility is clear. Command authority is established — the chain of culpability is unmistakable. Under the rule of law, conduct of this nature demands investigation and, where warranted, prosecution.

Sadly that will never happen. The criminals remain to destroy our country — and others.

William Hemmel

Moultonborough