The 10 questions Congress should ask the Sedena for spying on civilians, according to civil organizations

Due to the new spy scandal involving the Department of National Defense (sedena) with the use of the program Pegasusthe senator Ricardo Monreal Avila He said Congress will request a report on the agency’s complaints.

Since such a past, it has become known through investigation that the Sedena would have intervened the private communications of Raymond Ramosa human rights defender, and two journalists while investigating a case of extrajudicial executions that occurred in July 2020.

This, as Monreal Ávila explained, because it is expected that during the week the installation of the bicameral commission will be carried out so that explanations can be given by the National Security Cabinet. However, the measure was not enough for some.

From human rights organizations, Network in Defense of Digital Rights (R3D), Section 19 there Social ticthrough a statement that they asked Congress to call instead, the head of Sedena, Louis Croissant Sandoval to appear before the legislators because the presentation of a report seemed to them insufficient.

Therefore, the organizations formulated 10 main points for the Secretary of Defense to respond to during his appearance:

– What was the constitutional and legal basis for the Sedena to presume that it has the power to intervene in private communications of civilians in the context of intelligence activities.

– The number of judicial authorizations that have been obtained to carry out private communications interventions.

– Why Sedena reported to the National Transparency Platform (NTP) not having requested judicial authorization to carry out the intervention of private communications in any occasion.

– If the secretary could confirm whether the “Remote Surveillance Information Service”, subject of the contracts concluded between Sedena and the exclusive distribution companies of the Pegasus malware such as Proyectos y Diseños VME SA de CV and Comercializadora Antsua SA de CV, consists of a private communications intervention service.

– Why the Secretariat allegedly concealed the existence of the DN-10 contract SAIT-1075/P/2019 concluded between Sedena and Comercializadora Antsua SA de CV to the demands of transparency and the requirements of the Attorney General of the Republic (FGR) and the Superior Chamber of Accounts of the Federation (ASF).

– With how many and with which companies has Sedena entered into contracts to acquire licenses to use tools, systems, services or equipment developed by the Israeli company NSO Group, such as Pegasus or any other.

– And in this aspect, when it is planned to make transparent the documents related to the hiring of companies related to the “Remote Information Monitoring Service”, an order issued by the President and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces , Andrés Manuel López Obrador in October 2022 .

– Explain what would be the constitutional and legal basis for the existence of the Military Intelligence Center, particularly with regard to communication intervention activities.

– If the president has knowledge of the activities of the WCC and whether it has authorized them, including the intervention of communications to journalists and human rights defenders.

– Why did they refuse to collaborate with the FGR in the investigation concerning the illegal intervention of communications using Pegasus.

After that, the three organizations even declared themselves ready to appear at the hearing to show the evidence collected.

On this subject, Senator Morenist and President of the Political Coordination Council (Jucopo), said espionage was serious in any part of the world at any time. He also added “I have been spied on all my life and I obviously condemn any type of abusive or illegal spying”.