Argentina’s Federal Intelligence Agency (AFI) has called for an investigation into former president Mauricio Macri for allegedly spying on more than 400 journalists, a source told AFP on Sunday.
Dozens of foreign journalists, including several representing AFP, appeared on a list of people to be investigated in relation to the G20 and World Trade Organization (WTO) summits held in Buenos Aires in recent years.
“The complaint was lodged on Friday and tomorrow [Monday] all the evidence will be presented,” the official source told AFP on condition of anonymity.
Around 100 academics, businesspeople and prominent figures from civil society also appeared on the list.
The documents relating to the case were found in three dossiers named “2017,” “G20 Journalists” and “Miscellaneous” located in a safe in the office of the AFI’s former director of counterintelligence.
Buenos Aires hosted the 11th WTO Ministerial Conference in 2017 and the 13th G20 Summit in 2018.
“The investigation into the journalists was straightforward. They dug up information from social media and that way built an ideological and political profile,” said the source.
The complaint was lodged by Cristina Caamano, who has been tasked by center-left President Alberto Fernandez to carry out an audit of AFI as part of a reorganization process.
According to the complaint, the profile information included “political preferences, social media posts, sympathy for feminist groups, or political and/or cultural content among others.”
The comments included whether or not “they were critical of the current government” of Macri, who held office from 2015-19. Other comments referred to “showing affinity for Peronism,” Fernandez’s political movement that was in opposition at the time, “supporting the government,” and “asking on Facebook for the liberation of Lula,” the jailed leftist former Brazilian president who has since been released. Each profile was marked.
Former president of Argentina Mauricio Macri speaks during a press conference at the Casa Rosada presidential palace in Buenos Aires, capital of Argentina, August 12, 2019. Photo: Xinhua
