Family Files Rights Complaint Over U.S. Strike on Fisherman

The family of a Colombian fisherman killed in a U.S. military strike has filed a human rights complaint against the United States, accusing the government of extrajudicial killing and violations of due process. The petition, submitted Tuesday to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights in Washington, D.C., centers on the death of 42-year-old Alejandro Carranza Medina, who perished on September 15, 2025, when his boat was targeted in the Caribbean Sea off Colombia's coast.

Carranza's relatives, represented by Pittsburgh-based human rights attorney Dan Kovalik, maintain that he was engaged in his profession of fishing for marlin and tuna at the time of the attack, with no involvement in drug trafficking. The complaint specifically holds U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth responsible for ordering the strike, citing his public statements that he authorized bombings on suspected vessels without knowing the identities of those aboard. It further alleges that President Donald Trump ratified Hegseth's actions. By denying Carranza due process and a fair trial, the filing argues, the United States violated his rights to life, equality before the law, and recognition of legal...