The following is a letter written by my friend and associate Fernando Dougnac, known as Chile's leading environmental lawyer, the 2002 recipient of Chile's National Environmental Prize, and a member of CONAMA's Consulting Council (CONAMA is Chile's national environmental agency similar to the EPA in the United States but with even less regulatory teeth). He wrote this letter this week to CONAMA's Consulting Council regarding the recent news that the Chilean government is spying on national environmental groups. This "environmental espionage" has been a rumor in the national NGO community for several years, and now it's official.
Mr. Dougnac's letter (my English translation):
Esteemed Consulting Council: On page 26 of the Friday, December 7 edition of the newspaper "La Tercera," one can read a news article entitled: "National Intelligence Agency recruits expert to monitor environmental conflicts and NGOs." The text of the article leaves no doubt concerning the espionage and monitoring that the National Intelligence Agency (Agencia Nacional de Inteligencia, or "ANI") is realizing over environmental NGOs in Chile.
Furthermore, I must inform you that a few weeks ago FIMA held a day-long series of environmental legal workshops in Cobquecura for artisan fishermen and the local community. At the entrance of the building where we held the workshops, two government detectives installed themselves to register all persons that entered the meetings and they watched everything that took place in this community meeting.
To this I must add that three years ago, in another legal environmental seminar that FIMA held for fishermen in Puerto Aysén, southern Chile, a detective attempted to enter the meeting disguised as a fisherman; this individual had the bad luck of being recognized by our team as one of the detectives who had investigated the robbery of computers from our offices some eight months prior and he was refused entrance. This fact was made known to Mr. Egaña who at that time was the sub-secretary of the General Secretary of the Presidency of Chile, who subsequently treated this serious event with complete disregard and without taking any actions to clarify the problem.
Problems like these that were historically blamed on Chile's military government are still valid troubles, a fact that is intolerable. I request your support in this issue so that this campaign of harassment against environmental NGOs is cancelled; the Chilean and international NGOs targeted in this government espionage program are valid and professional organizations that loyally collaborate not only for our country's environmental protection but also collaborate directly with CONAMA and its Consulting Council.
Fernando Dougnac
President, FIMA
Fiscalía del Medio Ambiente
Santiago de Chile
Monday, December 10, 2007
And here is Mr. Dougnac's original letter written in Spanish:
Estimado Consejo Consultivo: En la edición del día viernes 7 de diciembre del diario La Tercera, página 26 se lee la siguiente noticia: "ANI recluta experto para monitorear conflictos y a ONG ambientalistas." El texto de ella no deja dudas respecto del espionaje y seguimiento que la Agencia Nacional de Inteligencia (ANI) está sometiendo a las ONG ambientalistas.
Debo decirles que hace algunas semanas FIMA dio en Cobquecura unas charlas de formación ambiental para pescadores y la comunidad en general. Pues bien, en la puerta del lugar donde se daban las charlas impúdicamente se instalaron dos detectives que chequeaban las personas que ingresaban y estuvieron vigilando todo lo que se dijo en esa oportunidad. A lo anterior, debe agregarse que hace unos tres años atrás, en otro seminario que se dio en Puerto Aysén, para pescadores, ingresó un detective disfrazado de pescador, con la mala suerte para él que lo reconocimos como uno de los detectives que había investigado un robo de computadores que habíamos sufrido unos ocho meses antes. Este hecho se puso en conocimiento del señor Egaña que era en ese momento subsecretario del Ministerio Secretaría General de la Presidencia, quien tomó este grave hecho con una gran ligereza, sin hacer nada por aclarar el tema.
Como ven, los vicios que antes se le achacaban al gobierno militar están plenamente vigentes, lo que es intolerable. Solicito de UDS. su apoyo para que se ponga fin a esta campaña de hostigamiento en contra de las ONG, organizaciones que hemos colaborado lealmente con la causa ambiental de nuestro país así como con este Consejo Consultivo.
Fernando Dougnac
Presidente de FIMA
Fiscalía del Medio Ambiente
Santiago de Chile
