A Colombian family has filed the first formal complaint against the United States over airstrikes on suspected drug boats ordered by the Trump administration. The petition, submitted to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) in Washington DC on Tuesday, alleges that Colombian citizen Alejandro Carranza Medina was illegally killed in a US airstrike on 15 September.
The complaint, filed by human rights lawyer Dan Kovalik, names US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth as the perpetrator, citing Hegseth's own statements ordering the bombings. It also states that President Donald Trump ratified the conduct. The IACHR, part of the Organization of American States, promotes human rights in the Western Hemisphere, and the US has previously expressed support for the commission.
Carranza, 42, was killed when his boat was bombed in the Caribbean off the coast of Colombia. His family says he was a fisherman who often sought marlin and tuna. The US has disclosed 21 strikes on alleged drug boats, with Carranza's death occurring in the second strike. President Trump announced the strike on Truth Social, describing the crew as 'from Venezuela', though Colombia later identified them as Colombian nationals.
Kovalik stated: 'We think this is a viable way to challenge the killing of Alejandro. We are going to seek redress for the family. We want the US to be ordered to stop doing these boat attacks.' The White House did not directly respond to the complaint but accused the media of 'running cover for foreign terrorists smuggling deadly narcotics'.
