Colombian intelligence agency DAS carried out illegal monitoring as part of a smear campaign against European organizations, including the EU parliament, according to leaked reports from the prosecutor general, reported broadcaster RCN on Wednesday.
Newly revealed parts of the judicial dossier on DAS’s operations reveals that European organizations were targeted in order to undermine the influence of the European justice system.
This targeting included “following, apparently illegal,” reports RCN.
According to the revealed files, the European Parliamentary committee on human rights, the UN Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights, and national governments were agencies deemed a threat to the Colombian government.
The strategy of “Operation Europe” was to discredit such entities by creating press releases, website reports and by waging legal battles against them. DAS members attended NGO seminars, workshops and forums to compile confidential reports which included photographs and films of attendees.
The possibility of smear campaigns against U.S. entities is also being investigated.