Family of Colombian Man Killed in Boat Strike Files Complaint Against US

The family of a Colombian man believed to be killed by a strike on a boat in September has filed a human rights complaint against the United States, saying that the attack was “murder” and that he was denied the right to due process.

The family believes that Colombian citizen Alejandro Carranza Medina, who was 42 years old, was killed on September 15, 2025, in the second of the publicly announced boat strikes. In their petition to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), they say that Carranza was denied his rights to due process and a fair trial in the killing.

This is the first known filing of its kind in relation to the strikes, and comes as the Trump administration is openly dismantling any human rights-related safeguards and enforcement measures in the U.S.

The IACHR is part of the Organization of American States. The D.C.-based institution analyzes human rights complaints, and has dozens of members, including the United States. Its decisions, however, are non-binding, as the U.S. has not ratified the treaty to enforce its actions.

The complaint, filed by Pittsburgh human rights lawyer Dan Kovalik, specifically names Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth as bearing responsibility for the alleged violation.

“From numerous news reports, we know that Pete Hegseth, US Secretary of Defense, was responsible for ordering the bombing of boats like those of Alejandro Carranza Medina and the murder of all those on such boats,” the complaint says, per The Guardian, which first reported the filing.

“Secretary Hegseth has admitted that he gave such orders despite the fact that he did not know the identity of those being targeted for these bombings and extra-judicial killing,” the complaint goes on, also saying that President Donald Trump bears responsibility.

Trump administration officials have repeatedly said that the military is following the law in its strikes, targeting so-called narco-terrorists. These assertions have faced widespread criticism from legal experts — including ones within the administration — who say that the executive branch does not have authority to carry out strikes on civilians just because they labelled them as “narco-terrorists” without evidence.

Kovalik said that Carranza was just fishing for marlin and tuna, which was “his profession and his vocation.” He further said that his hope is that the IACHR case could pressure the U.S. into curbing its strikes, even if the decision is nonbinding.

The petition could indeed increase pressure on the administration, which is currently facing pushback from both Republicans and Democrats after reports that the initial strike on September 2 was a “double tap” strike conducted after Hegseth ordered the military to “kill everybody.” Hegseth has tried to distance himself from the attack, saying on Tuesday that he didn’t “stick around” for the second attack, and pinning it on “fog of war.”

On Tuesday, the IACHR put out a statement expressing “deep concern” over the boat strike campaign.

“[T]he Commission calls upon the United States to: refrain from employing lethal military force in the context of public security operations, ensuring that any counter-crime or security operation fully complies with international human rights standards; conduct prompt, impartial, and independent investigations into all deaths and detentions resulting from these actions; and adopt effective measures to prevent recurrence,” the statement said.

The U.S. has thus far given no information on any of the individuals killed in its strikes — not even in classified briefings with Congress, lawmakers have said. Since September 2, the military has carried out 21 publicly announced strikes, killing 83 people.