First legal complaint filed over US Caribbean airstrikes

Nassau: The family of a Colombian fisherman killed in a US airstrike in the Caribbean has filed a formal complaint with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) accusing the US administration of conducting an extrajudicial killing in breach of international law, according to US and British media outlets.

It is the first legal challenge brought against airstrikes mandated by the Trump administration off the coasts of Central and South America, in which at least 83 people have died.

Washington says its actions aim to combat the drug trade.

What does the complaint say?
Relatives of Alejandro Carranza Medina, who was killed in a US airstrike off the Colombian coast on September 15, claim that he was denied the right to due process and a fair trial as laid down by international law.

"From numerous news reports, we know that Pete Hegseth, US secretary of defence, was responsible for ordering the bombing of boats like those of Alejandro Carranza Medina and the murder of all those on such boats," the family said in the complaint, as cited by media.

"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 extrajudicial killings," it added

According to the British newspaper The Guardian, which was the first to report on the complaint, the family added that “US President Donald Trump has ratified the conduct of Secretary Hegseth described herein."

The family said Carranza, outside of his main work as a fisherman, occasionally piloted boats for others.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro said in October that Carranza might have had some small contact with the drug trade.

Trump administration under pressure
IACHR rulings are not binding on the US government, but an adverse finding in this case could prove embarrassing, undermining as it would the US self-image as a nation that defends the rule of law throughout the world.

The complaint comes as the Trump administration is under growing pressure from both sides of the political aisle over the September 2 killing of two survivors of an initial airstrike in the Caribbean Sea in a follow-up attack. Critics have challenged the White House's assertion that it was not consulted about the second strike, with Trump laying the blame on commanding officer Admiral Frank Bradley.