With the Trump/Hegseth disastrous war against Iran and the midterm elections taking up so much oxygen, the administration’s extrajudicial executions of sailors have been relegated to the back burner. A new lawsuit by 16 Ecuadorean fishermen ought to change that.
The lawsuit, which is to be filed Monday, tells a horrific story that, alone, probably qualifies Whiskey Pete Hegseth for impeachment. “Two armed drones, the filing states, exploded on their boat, setting it ablaze and destroying it completely, and two of the crew ‘were themselves set on fire and burned on their legs, arms and back,’” The Guardian reported, after viewing the legal complaint.
“The men say they jumped overboard and into small emergency boats that they rowed towards the vessel, pursued by a surveillance drone. They were greeted by US military personnel in camouflage uniforms who, they said, restrained them with zip ties and placed plastic hoods over their heads,” The Guardian said. The fishermen allege that they were taken to a detention center in El Salvador and tortured there before being released after several weeks.
They are still struggling, even after returning home. The loss of their boat means they have no source of income “and the two guys who were hurt bad are still dealing with that,” their lawyer told The Guardian.
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