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Amnesty International presents evidence against Morocco for using the “Pegasus” spy program against the Saharawi activist Aminatou Haidar
(SPS)- After an in-depth analysis by Amnesty International’s International Security Laboratory and the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab, the international body has obtained unquestionable evidence that unravels the actions of the Moroccan occupation regime and the use of the espionage program ” Pegasus of NSO Group” against human rights activist Aminatou Haidar Amnesty International is in a position to reveal that prominent human rights activist Aminetu Haidar has been attacked with NSO Group’s Pegasus spyware in recent months.
Likewise, Amnesty International expresses its surprise to find that “the analysis carried out by the Security Laboratory of Amnesty International concluded that two phones of the Saharawi human rights defender were attacked and infected in November 2021, just months after the revelations about Project Pegasus having shocked the world.”
Amnesty Tech Deputy Director Danna Ingleton said: “The fact that Aminatou Haidar was attacked with the Pegasus spyware just a few months ago is further evidence that companies like the NSO Group will continue to facilitate the commission of human rights violations, unless they are subject to appropriate regulation.
“This latest revelation shows that the NSO Group’s human rights policies are meaningless in practice. In the investigation of Project Pegasus, Amnesty International has repeatedly shown expert evidence of Pegasus misuse since 2019 by Morocco and in more than a dozen countries, but the NSO Group has not taken any steps to prevent further Pegasus breaches in Morocco and in the occupied areas of Western Sahara.
Amnesty International will demand that the Israeli company “NSO Group” be held accountable for its role in the attacks against Aminatou Haidar and other brave activists from Morocco and Western Sahara”.
Known as the Saharawi Gandhi, Aminatou Haidar is a human rights defender from Western Sahara, awarded several times for her peaceful activism, including the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award in 2008, the Civil Courage Award in 2009 and the Right Livelihood Award in 2019
“After receiving email security alerts from Apple warning that her phones may have been targeted by state-sponsored attackers, Aminatou Haidar contacted the Right Livelihood Foundation, who referred her to the Apple Security Lab. Amnesty International for expert analysis. The Security Lab then confirmed the attacks and infection with NSO Group’s Pegasus spyware.
Amnesty International’s analysis showed that one of Haidar’s phones contained traces of Pegasus attacks from September 2018 and other traces of infection as recently as October and November 2021 on the other. Amnesty International shared forensic documentation from Haidar’s phone with the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab research team, who independently confirmed the October and November 2021 Pegasus infections.
This clearly indicates that civil society in Morocco and Western Sahara continues to be the target of illegal attacks with Pegasus spyware, despite Amnesty International’s documentation of an extensive history of misuse.
Amnesty International also recalls that it provided detailed information about the uncontrolled use of the “PEGASUS” program by the Moroccan regime against human rights activists and journalists. First in October 2019 with the cases of Maati Monjib and Abdessadak El Bouchattaoui; in June 2020 with the case of journalist Omar Radi; and in July 2021 with the revelations about Project Pegasus, including the case of exiled Moroccan journalist Hicham Mansouri and Claude Mangin, partner of Naama Asfari, a Saharawi activist imprisoned in Morocco.
As usual, AI asked the Moroccan regime for an explanation, questioning the latest findings and citing a lack of “material evidence”. NSO Group has not responded as of the publication date, but has previously refused to confirm or deny that Moroccan authorities use its technologies.
Since the first revelations about Project Pegasus, targets have been discovered from countries such as Palestine, El Salvador, Poland and Belgium, highlighting the wide range of human rights abuses and violations committed through the use of NSO’s Pegasus spyware.
“Spyware companies like NSO Group cannot be trusted to regulate themselves, and we again call for an immediate halt to the sale, transfer and use of spyware technology until a human rights regulatory framework is in place,” said Danna Ingleton.
Morocco/Western Sahara: Activist targeted with Pegasus spyware in recent months – new evidence
Morocco/Western Sahara: Activist targeted with Pegasus spyware in recent months – new evidence