The relatives of Alejandro Carranza Medina, a Colombian national killed in a US military operation targeting suspected drug smuggling vessels, have formally lodged a human rights complaint with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR). Filed on Tuesday and reported by AFP on Wednesday, the legal submission contends the United States violated Carranza’s fundamental rights to life and due process during a September 15th maritime strike conducted as part of President Donald Trump’s intensified counter-narcotics campaign.
The family’s complaint explicitly accuses US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth of authorizing the bombing without verifying the identities of those aboard targeted vessels, resulting in what they characterize as extra-judicial killings. They maintain Carranza was an innocent fisherman whose boat was disabled and adrift at the time of the attack, denying any involvement in drug trafficking.
This incident has sparked significant diplomatic tension, with Colombian President Gustavo Petro publicly condemning the strikes as violations of sovereignty and murder. Petro has pledged governmental support for Carranza’s family in their pursuit of justice. The case has emerged as a focal point for criticism against US military actions in the region, with reports indicating over 83 fatalities across 21 known strikes since early September.
Legal experts and human rights organizations have raised alarms about the operation’s legality under international law, noting that drug trafficking does not constitute combat and thus doesn’t justify military engagement. Scrutiny intensified following revelations of a ‘double-tap’ strike on September 2nd, where the US military allegedly launched a second missile after survivors were spotted following an initial attack—a tactic potentially constituting war crimes under the Pentagon’s own guidelines.
While the Trump administration has defended the strikes as necessary measures against ‘narco-terrorists’ and continues to threaten expanded operations—including possible land incursions into Venezuela—the IACHR now faces pressure to review the complaint and potentially refer the case to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.