Family of Colombian man killed in U.S. boat strike alleges murder, files complaint

A petition filed on behalf of the family of Alejandro Carranza says he was killed after the U.S. military bombed his fishing boat on Sept. 15.

The family of a Colombian man who was killed in a U.S. strike on an alleged drug-carrying vessel in the Caribbean has filed a formal complaint to a leading human rights agency, arguing the man’s death was an extrajudicial killing.

The petition filed by U.S.-based human rights lawyer Daniel Kovalik, on behalf of the family of Alejandro Carranza, says he was killed after the U.S. military bombed his fishing boat on Sept. 15 while he was sailing along Colombia’s Caribbean coast, and that his death violated human rights conventions.

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights received the petition on Tuesday, which was first reported by The Guardian. Because the U.S. does not recognize the existence of an international court associated with the human rights body, any recommendations given by the commission would not be legally binding.

Kovalik said Carranza’s four children and his wife are seeking compensation, as he was the family’s breadwinner.

Kovalik told the Associated Press that the family chose the commission because of the obstacles a federal case would face, but the possibility is on the table.

“The U.S. does not subject itself to accountability, so we’re using the avenues we have before us,” Kovalik said on Wednesday.

“We believe that a decision in our favour, combined with public pressure, can get us that compensation and also can end the killings in the Caribbean,” he continued.

In November, after the strike that killed Carranza, Colombian President Gustavo Petro accused the U.S. government of murder on X.