Colombia’s government did not order the illegal wiretapping of
political opponents, Supreme Court judges and journalists,
vice-President Francisco Santos told the United Nations Human Rights
Council in Geneva Monday.
“If these interceptions were made, they were never ordered by the Government,” Santos assured. “The Government does not practice espionage against persons or institutions,” he added.
“Although there is no evidence and the Prosecutor General is investigating” intelligence agency DAS was relieved immediately of the authority to incercept phonecalls, the minister stressed.
Santos defended the internationally criticized Democratic Security policy of the current administration, saying the policy to fight insurgency is “very effective, but respectful of human rights.”
Despite accusations made by several human rights organizations about impunity for those that violated human rights, the vice-President claimed “no violation of human rights has been left unattended and without investigation.”
Santos underlined the steps taken after the ‘falsos positivos’ scandal that revealed that members of the security forces had been killing innocent civilians to make the war against illegal armed groups look more effective. “For five months not one complaint about outside combat deaths was received,” the VP stressed.
Colombia isn’t perfect, Santos said. “We also recognize that we have some shortcomings,” but stressed the improvements made in the country. “For the first time in decades, not a single journalist was killed in Colombia last year.”
