Mexico City Prosecutors Accused of Requesting Phone Records of Opposition Politicians, Prompting Claims of Political Persecution

City Prosecutors Deny Accusations but Fail to Explain Related Court Documents; Incident Sparks Broader Discussions on Mexico's Political Surveillance and Abuse of Power Amid Investigations

• Santiago Taboada, an opposition candidate planning to run for mayor in 2024, accused the Mexico City prosecutor's office of seeking his phone records along with those of other politicians, implying the potential abuse of power for political manipulation. The prosecutors' office denied these claims.
• The phone records requests were allegedly found in prosecution case files and supposedly handed over by a private phone company, indicating both opposition figures and some high-ranking members of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador's own Morena party were targeted.
• Prosecutors' spokesperson, Ulises Lara, claimed the office doesn't spy on political figures. However, he didn't deny the existence of alleged documents showing the phone record requests but suggested that they might have been falsified and an investigation to the internal affairs office was underway.
• Despite President López Obrador's pledge to end political espionage, evidence suggests the continued use of surveillance tactics such as the notorious Pegasus spyware. Under his regime, there have been reports of spying on human rights activists, journalists, and even his administration's members.
• The phone surveillance scandal follows previous instances of the city prosecutors' office being accused of using legal mechanisms for political ends, such as the cross-state arrest of Uriel Carmona, attorney general of the neighboring state of Morelos, on accusations of obstructing an investigation.
• The case shines a spotlight on Mexico's history of political surveillance and systemic abuse of power, raising concern about the integrity of upcoming elections and the future democratic process.

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