“Alejandro Was Murdered”: Colombian Fisherman’s Family Files Claim Against U.S. over Boat Strike

AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org, The War and Peace Report. I’m Amy Goodman.

The Pentagon has announced the U.S. blew up another boat in the eastern Pacific, killing four people, claiming the boat was carrying drugs, but once again offering no proof. This comes as the controversy continues to grow over the first U.S. boat strike September 2nd, when the U.S. targeted and killed two men who had survived an initial attack. Nine others were killed in the first strike September 2nd. The U.S. has now killed at least 87 people in 22 strikes on boats since September. The U.S. has not provided proof [of] the vessels’ activities or the identities of those on board.

But now the family of a fisherman from Colombia has come forward and has filed the first formal challenge to the U.S. military strikes. In a petition filed with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, the family says a strike on September 15th killed 42-year-old Alejandro Andres Carranza Medina, a fisherman from Santa Marta, Colombia, a father of four. His family says he was fishing for tuna and marlin off Colombia’s Caribbean coast when his boat was bombed, that he wasn’t smuggling drugs. At the time, President Trump claimed the strike killed three narcoterrorists.

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: We have proof. All you have to do is look at the cargo that was — like, it spattered all over the ocean, big bags of cocaine and fentanyl all over the place. And it was. Plus, we have recorded evidence that they were leaving.

AMY GOODMAN: A video released at the time shows a small boat exploding in flames.

For more, we’re joined in Pittsburgh by international human rights attorney Dan Kovalik. He filed the petition with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights on behalf of the family.

Welcome to Democracy Now! Explain what they are saying, Dan.

DAN KOVALIK: Thanks for having me, Amy.

Yeah, I mean, it’s pretty simple. The claim that the family is making is that Alejandro was murdered. You know, I was asked by one reporter, you know, “Was Alejandro innocent?” And, you know, my response was all these people who’ve been killed are innocent, because you’re innocent until proven guilty. None of these people were charged. None of them were put on trial and convicted. This is not how a civilized nation should act, just murdering people on the high seas without proof, without trial.

AMY GOODMAN: So, explain. Has the Trump administration gotten in touch? Has the Colombian government stood up for the victims of this boat strike? Has the U.S. government presented any evidence that, in fact, the person you’re representing, Andres Carranza Medina, was in fact a narcoterrorist?

DAN KOVALIK: No, the U.S. has presented no evidence. They have not responded at all to our petition. And in terms of the Colombian government, the truth is I got in touch with the family of Alejandro through the Petro administration, through President Petro of Colombia. So they are standing up to this. They are — actually, President Petro is creating a commission of lawyers to investigate more killings that have happened of Colombians in the Caribbean.

AMY GOODMAN: So, explain the response in Colombia to the killing of your client. You say in the petition the family has been threatened by right-wing paramilitaries for speaking out about Mr. Carranza’s death. Can you tell us more?

DAN KOVALIK: Yeah, well, you know, the sad thing is that right-wing paramilitaries, which the United States helped to create and helped to fund for many years, still exists in Colombia. And so, yeah, when the family came out publicly about the murder, they did receive death threats from right-wing paramilitaries. And in fact, they ended up being displaced as a result of these threats. But again, the government of Colombia is behind them, is supporting them. And there’s a lot of outrage in Colombia about these killings.

And what’s happened, by the way, Amy, is that, you know, again, fishermen are now stopping going out to sea to fish, because they’re afraid they’re just going to be blown up, which is — you know, makes sense. I mean, I wouldn’t go out there, either.

AMY GOODMAN: Explain what it means to bring a petition in front of the Inter-American Human Rights Commission. What is this commission? What power does it have over the United States?

DAN KOVALIK: Yes. Well, first of all, the Inter-American Commission is part of the Organization of American States. We brought the claims under the American Declaration for the Rights and Duties of Man, which is the oldest human rights instrument in the world. It was actually agreed to in Bogotá, Colombia, in 1948, even before the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was agreed to.

And the commission does have jurisdiction over the United States to investigate the United States for these types of crimes, which these are crimes, and to require the U.S. to respond to them. In the end, they will issue a report making recommendations, we hope, for compensation for the familiy, also telling the U.S. to stop these killings. In the end, you know, the U.S. could choose to disregard these recommendations, but we think, with a positive decision from the commission, combined with public pressure, which is building, that we can bring justice to this family and stop these killings on the high seas.

AMY GOODMAN: You filed the first formal complaint. Do you expect others to follow?

DAN KOVALIK: Oh, yes, we do, of course. And, you know, again, the Colombian government is reaching out, trying to find more families. And I am happy to take on more cases. I think this is one of the most significant human rights cases right now, certainly in the hemisphere, I mean, because it’s not just about, well, killings, but it’s about the rule of law. You know, it’s about the idea that you — that a government like the United States could just murder people based on mere accusations. As I say, it’s no different than, you know, going down the street here in Pittsburgh, and the cops saying, “Oh, I think that guy’s dealing in drugs,” and just blowing that person’s brains out.

AMY GOODMAN: Final question. We — 

DAN KOVALIK: No one thinks that’s correct. You know. Yeah.

AMY GOODMAN: We just have 10 seconds. Do you hold out — 

DAN KOVALIK: Yeah.

AMY GOODMAN: — hope for the Senate investigation, both Republican and Democrat, raising serious questions about these bombings? Five seconds.

DAN KOVALIK: I am at least hopeful, Amy. Again, I think the tide is turning against these killings. The American public is disgusted by them. So, yeah, I think there’s hope.

AMY GOODMAN: We’re going to have to leave it there. Thank you so much.

DAN KOVALIK: Thank you.

AMY GOODMAN: Dan Kovalik, international human rights attorney. I’m Amy Goodman. Thanks for joining us.