Indigenous rights in Colombia

The Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) has criticized the recently revealed financing of the surveillance software Pegasus for Colombian security agencies by the United States. “It is known that the spyware product – developed by the NSO Group – is often used for the surveillance of opposition figures as well as journalists and activists. Especially in Colombia, the country with the highest number of murdered activists, the use of such spyware could exacerbate the already alarming situation,” warned Jan Königshausen, STP expert on Indigenous peoples.
The software is supposed to help fight terrorism and organized crime. “However, experience from other countries has shown that several defiant civil society actors ended up on the surveillance lists as well. For indigenous leaders and environmental activists in particular, uncontrolled surveillance technologies pose another potential threat. Thus, it is now all the more important for the government to investigate and provide information on who was monitored – and in which period of time,” Königshausen demanded. Further, the Federal Republic’s diplomatic missions in the region must try to clarify the matter as thoroughly as possible.
According to what has come to light so far, the US government – which is officially very critical of the NSO Group and its products – paid eleven million Dollars in cash for the software. “States that use cash payments are dangerously close to criminal organizations whose methods they claim to combat,” Königshausen emphasized. “The case underscores the need for international oversight of dangerous surveillance technologies, to ensure that already vulnerable civil society actors can carry out their important tasks,” The organization Front Line Defenders reported 146 murdered activists in Colombia in 2023 – more than half of all cases registered worldwide.