US military strike kills Colombian fisherman Alejandro Carranza. His family is now demanding justice and denies any connection to drug trafficking.
Alejandro Carranza, a fisherman from Colombia, wants to go to sea as usual in mid-September to catch marlin and tuna. But he never came back. On September 15, his ship was hit by a US military attack, killing him. This was reported by the “New York Times”.
“I never thought I would lose my father in this way,” said his 14-year-old daughter, Cheila, through tears. Colombian President Gustavo Petro accused the US of killing Carranza. Now the family is demanding justice.
Family wants “answers and compensation”
“We want answers and compensation for what was done to us,” said Dan Kovalik, the family’s attorney and good friend. He plans to take legal action in the US to hold those responsible accountable.
Carranza’s former partner, Katerine Hernández, stressed: “It was a murder. Alejandro was not a drug trafficker, but a simple fisherman who supported his family.” The family hopes his case will help prevent further deadly attacks.
Doubts regarding the legitimacy of the attack
The US has carried out 19 attacks in the Caribbean since September, leaving at least 76 people dead. The US government claims the ships were transporting drugs, but evidence of this does not exist in the Carranza case.
Many experts sharply criticized the US military’s actions. According to the New York Times, they violate international law because those affected do not pose an immediate threat. “If the people on the ship were suspected of smuggling drugs, they should have been arrested, not killed,” explained Kovalik.
