Costa Rica’s Intelligence and National Security Office Answers Solely to the President.

Would anyone believe that the peaceful little nation of Costa Rica has a secret police force, something similar to the United State’s Central Intelligence Agency? Costa Rica’s DIS stands for something quite similar, the Direccion de Inteligencia y Seguridad Nacional (Intelligence and National Security Office). This secret police force answers to the president only and is free to put under surveillance and investigate any Costa Rican citizen.

The force was created in 1994 under the General Police Law number 7410, to protect the country as well as to preserve and defend its democracy. The question remains, is a giant surveillance force, run by one person, democratic?

According to its current president, Roberto Solorzano, these activities focus around the trafficking of arms and drugs, working hand in hand with the Judicial Investigation Organization (OIJ) and the Drug Control Police (PCD). The DIS doesn’t have the power to place anyone under arrest or to take anybody to court; they rely on the OIJ for this. They do have access to cars, computers and other resources, and they receive regular raises as well as other benefits. In 2008, the Costa Rican government will destine a total budget of nearly $6 million to run the DIS.

Oscar Arias and Rodrigo Arias agree that because there is no army in this country, some form of intelligence is of uppermost importance. In spite of this generous explanation, many questions are still left unanswered.

The main complaint about the DIS is that they are infringing people’s constitutional rights through spying, surveillance and unbalanced focus on certain groups such as left-wing political groups like the socialist Partido Izquierda Unida, human rights groups and workers’ unions. DIS officials retorted that it is always important to keep an eye on political leftist movements.

For example, when the allegations arose that there are Costa Rican ties to the Colombian FARC rebel group, a report was provided by the DIS, entitled “FARC in Costa Rica”, with photographs and information about Costa Ricans who have had some sort of connection with the FARC during the last couple of decades. These included photos of deputy Jose Merino Del Rio. Del Rio claims that these photos were taken illegally and used in order to damage his reputation and his political campaign.

These reports and information about people and organizations are often delivered without any kind of seals or signatures, which brought the country’s general prosecutor, Francisco Dall’ Anesse, to call the DIS a political police force.

In turn, Solorzano and other previous directors attacked back in their defense, claiming that even talking politics in the office is prohibited. However, Mario Soto, who was director of DIS between 1994 and 1996, admitted that in the past the DIS was acting as a political police, but that it has since been dedicated only to gathering information. As proof of this, he says, the agents use no weapons and do not make any arrests, and this is because “they are not a political police”. They give red alerts when the national security is menaced, and that is as far as they can go.

One has to remember however that during the presidency of Figueres, between 1994 and 1998, some scandal arose when it was discovered that phones had been tapped illegally. The prosecutor of that period affirmed that yes, such activities did take place, but that no trial followed.

Rogelio Ramos, who was the director of DIS from 1998 to the year 2000, suggested that indeed if there is cause for concern, the files and the work of DIS should be analyzed.

Is Costa Rica the friendly democratic and peaceful country we have come to love? After all, the flora and fauna, the beautiful sunsets and the raging volcanoes do not seem to care so much! Is this really worth worrying about, or indeed, is there more to know, and shouldn’t we be better informed?

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Filed under: Costa Rica News on June 23rd, 2008