January 22, 2021
Media close to Colombia’s President Ivan Duque have been reporting on possibly fabricated intelligence reports that could be part of illegal attempts to criminalize government critics.
Multiple government-loyal news outlets have recently published and broadcast reports about multiple “intelligence reports” they received from the government that are not corroborated by any evidence.
The subsequent media reports echo President Ivan Duque’s unsubstantiated terrorism support claims against the governments of Cuba and Venezuela, repeat claims government critics would receive foreign support and would bolster chances of Duque’s far-right Democratic Center party in the 2022 elections.
One of the reported intelligence files repeats debunked claims that anti-government protests in 2019 were infiltrated by Venezuelans while another could see Colombian refugees from Venezuela be stripped of their right to vote.