CIP fact sheet on Colombia's wiretap scandal Share This /

The Center for International Policy's Colombia blog has a fact sheet (html, pdf) about the still-unfolding scandal involving the Colombian presidency's intelligence agency, the Administrative Security Department or DAS. The DAS stands accused of wiretapping and carrying out surveillance on dozens of human rights defenders, journalists, opposition politicians, and other critics of President Álvaro Uribe's government, as well as Supreme Court judges investigating charges of government officials' serious wrongdoing. Here is an excerpt, the section of the fact sheet covering "The U.S. government’s response."

• In February 2009, U.S. Ambassador William Brownfield recognized that the United States provided eavesdropping equipment to the DAS.

• “[W]e obviously think that the steps that have already been made on issues like extrajudicial killings and illegal surveillance, that it is important that Colombia pursue a path of rule of law and transparency, and I know that that is something that President Uribe is committed to doing.” – President Barack Obama, June 29, 2009, hosting President Uribe at the White House.

• “Allegations of illegal domestic wiretapping and surveillance by Colombia’s Department of Administrative Security (DAS) are troubling and unacceptable. The importance that the Prosecutor General’s Office has placed on prosecuting these crimes is a positive step for Colombia, but media and NGO reports allege that illegal activity continues, so it is even more vital that the Colombian government take steps to ensure that this is not the case, and that the Prosecutor General’s Office conduct a rigorous, thorough and independent investigation in order to determine the extent of these abuses and to hold all perpetrators accountable.” – September 2009 Department of State press release announcing that Colombia, in the department’s view, meets human rights conditions in U.S. foreign aid law.

Read more here.