By Maira Magro
Two journalists for Clarín newspaper, Daniel Santoro and Gerardo Young, testified Wednesday, Nov. 17, to a parliamentary commission that is investigating an illegal wiretapping scandal involving the city government of Buenos Aires, Clarín reports.
According to EFE, the case started in October of last year when Sergio Burstein – a Jewish lawyer related to a victim of the 1994 attack against the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association (AMIA) – said he was being spied on by the Buenos Aires police, allegedly under orders from former police chief Jorge “Fino” Palacios,” who is currently in jail.
Burstein led the opposition to Palacios’ nomination to the post, because the former chief was alleged to have been involved in a cover-up during the investigation AMIA attack investigation. The parliamentary commission is investigating the alleged participation of the mayor of Buenos Aires, Mauricio Macri, in the illegal spying.
Santoro, the editor of the judicial section of Clarín, was called to testify after publishing an article that said the man who alerted Bursetin to the wiretap was an agent of Argentina’s Intelligence Department. During examination, the deputies insisted several times that Santoro reveal his sources, La Politica Online adds. However, according to Clarín, the journalist said he was bound by professional secrecy to not give out their names.
The journalist said that two days before he published the article, he received an email warning him that he was being spied on himself by the Intelligence Department, Clarín adds.
Gerardo Young, a Clarín journalist and author of the book SIDE, The Secret Argentina, also testified in front of the commission.
Note from the editor: This story was originally published by the Knight Center’s blog Journalism in the Americas, the predecessor of LatAm Journalism Review.
