Ana Piquer, Americas Director at Amnesty International, has stated that the United States’ role in maritime attacks is increasingly difficult to deny, following mounting revelations regarding the disappearance of the vessel Fiorella and the status of its missing crew. Eight crew members remain unaccounted for nearly seven months after the ship vanished in international waters.
Recent Media Investigations Reveal Private Aircraft and CIA Covert Program
On August 12, The New York Times reported that a maritime patrol aircraft tracked the Fiorella for four days, including January 20—the date the vessel disappeared. According to the report, the plane was crewed by English-speaking pilots, operated out of a military facility in El Salvador, and was registered to a private company based in Virginia rather than the official U.S. government fleet. This pointed toward potential collaboration between private entities and U.S. authorities.
The following day, The Washington Post published findings alleging that the attack on the Fiorella formed part of a covert Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) program executed with the alleged direct approval of the President of the United States.
In July, Amnesty International mapped the vessel’s trajectory using Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) data. The records confirmed that the Fiorella departed from the Ecuadorian port of Jaramijó on January 13 and transmitted its final signal on January 20 in international waters positioned between the Ecuadorian mainland and the Galápagos Islands. Ten crew members were onboard at the time, leaving eight missing in the aftermath.
Calls for Independent Inquiries and Congressional Oversight
Addressing the newly surfaced evidence, Piquer emphasized the necessity for formal oversight from lawmakers. “The U.S. Congress must continue to push for legislative investigations into this incident and consider the possible involvement of government agencies in collaboration with private entities, given the new evidence available,” she said.
Amnesty International has also urged authorities to examine a broader pattern of maritime interdictions carried out under anti-drug policies across the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea over the past year. Piquer noted that these operations have involved more than 200 possible extrajudicial executions.
“U.S. authorities must conduct an impartial investigation into the incident and, if there is sufficient and admissible evidence, establish criminal liability in the case,” Piquer stated. “We must not forget that eight families have been waiting nearly seven months to find out what happened to their loved ones.”
