Colombia’s JEP calls for investigation into alleged illegal surveillance of judges

Colombia’s Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP) has asked the Attorney General’s Office to investigate allegations of illegal phone surveillance by its judges, following accusations that the Constitutional Court, opposition politicians and journalists were targeted by intelligence agents. These allegations, which point to surveillance by the National Intelligence Directorate (DNI), have sparked a new scandal for President Gustavo Petro’s government.

The allegations were brought to light by Semana, a leading Colombian news channel, which reported that the phone and communications data of the Vice President of the Constitutional Court, Jorge Enrique Ibáñez, had been intercepted by the DNI for several months.

Following these revelations, President Petro denied the allegations on the social media platform “X”, stating: “From the first day of this government, the President has ordered the intelligence services not to use them against the opposition, the press or the courts. I have explicitly stated that the state intelligence service is dedicated to the prosecution of serious crimes.”

Petro added that a DNI inspection had not found any private telephone wiretapping devices and stressed: “This government is not doing what others have done in the past.”

The scandal comes just days after the U.S. Congress was sent into summer recess, postponing debates on several government reforms until the resumption of sessions on July 20.

In response to Semana’s report, Colombia’s parallel judiciary has formally requested the Attorney General’s Office to investigate the alleged illegal wiretapping of its judges. The JEP was created in 2006 with the signing of the peace agreement between the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrillas and the government of President Juan Manuel Santos.

In a letter to Attorney General Luz Adriana Camargo, several JEP judges complain that they have been subjected to unauthorized surveillance in recent months. The letter highlights concerns about possible threats to the JEP’s independence and autonomy and underscores the importance of upholding the democratic principles that govern Colombia.

“This situation represents a clear threat to the security of the judges of this jurisdiction,” said Jairo Ernesto Arias, JEP Director of Legal Affairs. The request cited previous death threats against JEP judges who were carrying out their constitutional and legal duties. Arias reminded the Attorney General that in 2023, “JEP judges received death threats for carrying out the duties constitutionally and legally assigned to them.”

The JEP called on the authorities to punish those responsible if the allegations are confirmed and promised to cooperate fully with the Attorney General’s Office in the investigation. “The seriousness of the incidents requires a review of the causes that motivated them and the identification of those responsible,” the JEP said.