Surveillance Scandal: German Environmental Activists Wiretapped by Public Prosecutor’s Office

2023-06-25 18:23:19

The German public prosecutor’s office admitted on Sunday that it had wiretapped environmental activists belonging to the group Letzte Generation (‘The last generation’). The information caused an uproar in the country.

This measure was ordered as part of an investigation into suspicions that members of the group “constituted or supported a criminal organization”, said a spokesman for the Munich public prosecutor’s office (south).

The group’s activists, known for sticking their hands on the tarmac of the roads they block to draw attention to the climate crisis, called the prosecution’s measure ‘absurd’.

The conversations between the members of the group and journalists who questioned them were part of the monitored calls, acknowledged the spokesperson for the prosecution. Although the journalists themselves were not targeted, they “became affected by these measures because of the calls made via the monitored telephone numbers”, the spokesperson said.

The Süddeutsche Zeitung newspaper disclosed the operation on Saturday, saying it started in October 2022 and also included monitoring emails, voicemail accounts and recording GPS data from cellphones.

‘Completely inappropriate’

“We protest showing our names and faces, publish our plans, accept legal consequences,” Letzte Generation wrote on Twitter. ‘Nevertheless, the Bavarian LKA (police) recorded phone calls, e-mails (…) This is nonsense.’

Dietmar Bartsch, parliamentary leader of the far-left opposition Linke party, called the surveillance ‘completely inappropriate’.

During their investigation, police raided the homes of several Letzte Generation activists in May. Two bank accounts were also seized. Letzte Generation, whose actions have among other things delayed flights and blocked road traffic, is dividing public opinion with its tactics.

/ATS

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