FIDH and LDH recall that they filed a complaint in July 2013 aimed at the NSA, the FBI and their surveillance practices under the PRISM programme. After more than 18 months since the opening of the preliminary investigation into the case, the Paris Prosecutor had still not made clear how it would procede with this affair.

Confronted with the Prosecu’s inaction, our organisations filed a new complaint as civil parties before the same court on 8 April 2015, hoping to shed light on the alleged violations of individual freedoms.

FIDH and LDH deplore the fact that the French justice system has not moved forward with this complaint implicating the NSA as well as the companies that provided access to their networks, thereby contributing to the installation of the surveillance programme called PRISM. The lack of progress is all the more unacceptable considering damning new revelations showing the NSA tapped the telephones of three French presidents.

"We deplore that, despite the indignation and protestation expressed at the highest levels of the State in reaction to these revelations, there has still not been a judicial inquiry regarding the activities of the NSA and its potentially serious violations of individual liberties," declared Patrick Baudoun, lawyer and FIDH honorary president.

Under the guise of the fight against terrorism and organised crime, this system for intercepting private data, which concerns US citizens as well as foreign organisations and individuals, enabled the NSA and the FBI to collect material data hosted on the servers of these companies. These data included, in particular, the history of Internet searches and connections, e-mail content, audio and video communications, photo files, document transfers and the content of online chats.

"Concretely, what we are waiting for is that the full extent of the surveillance programme be brought to light, especially concerning the serious violations of fundamental liberties. It is even more important now that the French Parliament has officially adopted a law that will give similar powers to the French intelligence services," said Michel Tubiana, lawyer and honorary president of LDH.