Grieving relatives still seeking answers as US normalises ‘drug boat’ strikes
Family of St Lucian fisher Ricky Joseph left suspended in raw grief, while media coverage of attacks is waning
TL;DR
- Ricky Joseph, a fisherman from St Lucia, was killed on February 13th when his boat was destroyed in a US military strike.
- Joseph's family states he had no criminal record and was not involved in drug trafficking.
- Over 200 people are believed to have been killed in more than 60 similar strikes on vessels in the Caribbean and Pacific.
- Human rights organizations and the UN have condemned these attacks as "extrajudicial killings".
- Media coverage of these strikes has decreased, leading to normalization of the events.
- Joseph's family has not received his body and is seeking clarity and closure.
- The owner of the boat believes his fleet may be targeted due to the color of his boats.
- St Lucian Prime Minister Philip Pierre stated he had received no further information from Washington regarding the attack.
- The US Southern Command (Southcom) did not immediately respond to a request for comment.