Outrageous spying activity by the Colombian Government's Secret Service (DAS) against the European Parliament, the UN, Colombian opposition politicians and others
22.4.2010
WRITTEN QUESTION P-3078/10
by Catherine Grèze (Verts/ALE)
to the Commission
Since 2009, the Servicio Administrativo de Seguridad (DAS) has been repeatedly accused of illegal phone tapping of magistrates, opposition members and journalists. At the beginning of April 2010, the State Prosecutor arrested Gian Carlo Auque De Silvestri, the former Intelligence Director and former Secretary-General of the DAS, and Germán Villalba, former Assistant Director of ‘Human Sources’, along with a further five former high-ranking DAS officials, including the former Intelligence Chief Fernando Tabares, the former Counter-Intelligence Director Jorge Lagos, and the former Operational Director Luz Marina Rodríguez.
At the same time, a series of documents stamped by the Colombian Government were seized from the DAS, proving the existence of a straightforward strategy of spying, persecuting and suppressing political opposition in Colombia, with public figures like Senator Piedad Córdoba, and Mr Gaviria, the Polo Alternativo politician, being mentioned by name. The strategy advocated by the DAS ranges from disinformation, smears, establishing bogus links with the guerrilla forces and drug trafficking, and producing bogus documents, to sabotage, threats, blackmail and acts of terrorism. These documents specify that one DAS operational objective is ‘neutralizing influence in the European court system’, specifically naming the European Parliament’s Subcommittee on Human Rights, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights; ‘destabilising action’ against national and international NGOs is also proposed.
Following these scandals, the USA announced on 12 April 2010 that they would immediately withdraw aid to the Colombian intelligence services.
Given that the DAS is directly answerable to the Colombian Government, and its director is appointed by the President, does the Commission intend to withhold signature of the Multiparty Agreement concluded with Colombia and Peru until such time as it has been established where responsibility lies in the case set out above?
Does the Commission intend to propose measures to the Council within the framework of the democracy and human rights clause contained in the partnership and cooperation agreement concluded in 2003?
What measures is the Commission going to take to protect European institutions and Colombians living on European territory?
OJ C 138 E, 07/05/2011