The family of a Colombian fisherman killed in a controversial US military strike has lodged the first formal human rights complaint over the Trump administration's bombing campaign against suspected drug smuggling vessels.
First legal challenge to Trump's 'kinetic strikes'
On Tuesday, a petition was filed with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) in Washington DC, alleging the illegal killing of Alejandro Carranza Medina, a 42-year-old Colombian citizen. The IACHR is a body of the Organization of American States tasked with protecting human rights across the hemisphere.
The complaint, submitted by Pittsburgh-based human rights lawyer Dan Kovalik, states that on 15 September 2025, the United States military bombed Carranza Medina's boat as he sailed in the Caribbean off the coast of Colombia, resulting in his death. His family insist he was a fisherman who regularly went to sea for marlin and tuna.
Hegseth and Trump directly implicated
The legal filing identifies US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth as the perpetrator, based on his own public statements. It claims Hegseth admitted to ordering the bombings of boats without knowing the identities of those targeted, actions it describes as extra-judicial killings.
The complaint further asserts that US President Donald Trump has ratified Hegseth's conduct. On the day of the strike, Trump announced on his Truth Social platform that a "SECOND Kinetic Strike" had been conducted on his orders against "positively identified" drug traffickers. He posted an unclassified video showing a small boat being struck.
Although Trump claimed the crew was Venezuelan, the Colombian government later identified the victims as its own nationals. Carranza Medina is believed to have died in this second disclosed strike of a campaign that has seen 21 publicly acknowledged attacks on alleged drug boats.
White House dismisses, family seeks justice
The White House did not directly address questions about the complaint or Carranza Medina's death. Spokesperson Anna Kelly wrote in an email that the media was "running cover for foreign terrorists smuggling deadly narcotics intended to murder Americans."
Dan Kovalik stated the IACHR petition is a viable first step to challenge the killing and seek redress for the family. "We want the US to be ordered to stop doing these boat attacks," he said.
The complaint represents a direct challenge to the legal justification presented by the Trump administration for its maritime strikes. The US State Department, in March 2025, expressed strong support for the IACHR's independence, calling its autonomy a pillar of US human rights policy in the region.
