call for justice
The Carranza family is seeking compensation and an end to the U.S. attacks as part of a petition to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.
However, the committee’s powers are limited. The government can investigate alleged violations, determine national responsibility and make recommendations, but its decisions are non-binding, meaning the United States is not obligated to follow them.
“It can provide a measure of justice in that local human rights groups say the victims are right and deserve compensation,” Papier said.
“However, compensation and full-fledged responsibility cannot be immediately achieved.”
Papier added that taking the case to a U.S. court could ultimately be more productive, but would also be extremely difficult.
Kovarik, the family’s lawyer, told Al Jazeera that they are currently considering those issues.
He explained that the fact that the alleged crime took place outside of U.S. territory could be an obstacle to litigation. The same may apply to legal protections afforded to the U.S. government and government officials.
The U.S. government enjoys sovereign immunity in most cases, and the Supreme Court ruled in 2024 that the president enjoys “presumptive immunity” for all “official acts” he takes.
“We are still considering the possibility of litigation,” Kovarik said.
Another problem is that the United States has shown no desire to investigate the airstrike or release information that could help other countries investigate.
Colombia’s attorney general’s office confirmed in a statement to Al Jazeera that it had opened an investigation into the U.S. bombing, but experts have warned that the investigation could be limited if access to information is restricted.
Schuller, an expert at the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights, said Colombia needed insight into the U.S. decision on the attack to determine criminal liability.
But without U.S. cooperation, he explained, “it would be impossible to get the information we need to say who could potentially be brought to justice for such an attack.”
For now, Kovarik said, the Carranza family is relieved to know that “at least something is being done.”
Since Carranza’s disappearance, relatives have been unable to hold a funeral without the fisherman’s remains. Carranza is the breadwinner of his family, and his wife’s disability limits her ability to work, leaving his family in financial trouble.
Vega said that if Carranza is suspected of drug smuggling, U.S. authorities have a responsibility to arrest him rather than kill him.
He added that the burden of proof should be on the U.S. government, not the family.
“Alejandro was one of our fishermen. He’s not going to stop being a fisherman unless proven otherwise.”
