Activist denounces Morocco's use of spyware in Western Sahara

Ghalia Abdallah Djimi, a Sahrawi human rights defender, has denounced Morocco’s systematic use of Pegasus spyware to monitor and intimidate journalists in the disputed Western Sahara.

According to Middle East Monitor on March 13th, the activist expressed her grievances against the Kingdom at the 58th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.

Moroccan authorities “exploit this advanced technology to violate the rights of human rights defenders and restrict fundamental freedoms, particularly targeting women who are subjected to systematic defamation and intimidation campaigns,” Djimi said.

Pegasus is an advanced software that was developed by Israeli company NSO Group, able to infiltrate smartphones to access data and activate microphone and camera without the users’ knowledge.

The technology was involved in a recent scandal in which it was alleged to have been deployed by several governments against dissidents, journalists and diplomats.

Morocco has been accused of employing the technology to monitor domestic opposition members and foreign officials.

In 2021, investigations revealed that over 6,000 Algerian phones had been targeted by Moroccan authorities , including high ranking officials and army staff.

This only aggravated the diplomatic conflict between the two countries, after Morocco’s normalization with Israel – in exchange for US’s recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara – provoked the ire of Algerian authorities. Rabat, in turn, is accusing Algeria of being directly involved in the conflict.

Djimi stressed that the use of Pegasus constituted “a grave violation of international law,” calling the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Privacy to launch an investigation on the matter.

Urgent actions need to be taken, she said, to protect privacy and freedom of expression in the region, as new technologies are being weaponized to repress human rights defenders.

NSO Group has already been blacklisted by the US administration in 2021, after it found the Israeli spyware maker had acted contrary to US’s foreign policy and national interests.

However, the company has not been threatened in the EU, despite an intense campaign by NGOs for the European Parliament to take action against the Israeli firm.

Middle East Monitor, The Guardian