Morocco: Investigation finds NSO Group's Pegasus spyware used to target female Sahraoui activist
Summary
Date Reported: 9 Mar 2022
Location: Morocco
Companies
NSO GroupAffected
Total individuals affected: Number unknown
Response
Response sought: Yes, by Amnesty
Action taken: The Moroccan authorities have consistently denied using the spyware, and dismissed the Amnesty report as "arbitrary accusations", said the government's Interministerial Department for Human Rights.
Source type: NGO
"Morocco/Western Sahara: Activist targeted with Pegasus spyware in recent months – new evidence" 9 March 2022
A prominent human rights activist in Morocco has been targeted with NSO Group’s Pegasus spyware in recent months, Amnesty International can reveal.
Analysis by Amnesty International’s Security Lab found that two phones belonging to Sahraoui human rights defender Aminatou Haidar were targeted and infected as recently as November 2021...
“NSO Group must be held accountable for its role in the targeting of Aminatou Haidar, and other fearless activists from Morocco and Western Sahara”...
This clearly indicates that civil society in Morocco and Western Sahara is still being unlawfully targeted with the Pegasus spyware.
These attacks on human rights defenders are part of an intensifying clampdown of peaceful dissent in Morocco. The continued abuse of NSO Group’s tools in the country indicates Moroccan authorities are failing to respect and protect the rights to freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly.
NSO Group’s repeated failure to act on the misuse of its tools indicates that it has failed in its human rights responsibilities to not contribute to human rights violations and failed to conduct adequate human rights due diligence in order to mitigate harm...