Amnesty International Open to Apologizing Over Morocco Spyware Allegations

"The Moroccan government says we have not provided evidence to support our allegations of espionage (against the kingdom), but we have submitted a detailed technical report," explained Mohamed Sektaoui, Secretary General of Amnesty in Morocco, during a press conference held at the organization’s headquarters during which he presented his 2021/22 report. If international justice proves that the Rabat authorities did not use the Pegasus spyware made by the Israeli company NSO group to spy on journalists and human rights activists, he promises that Amnesty will apologize to Morocco and "courageously" acknowledge its "mistake".

Two weeks ago, Morocco demanded that Amnesty provide the evidence for its "arbitrary allegations" regarding the Moroccan government’s use of the Pegasus spyware. "In a spirit of transparency, the kingdom has repeatedly called on Amnesty International to justify its allegations. But this organization is unable to provide the irrefutable argument and material evidence to support its claims," deplores the Interministerial Delegation for Human Rights (DIDH) in a statement.

Last July, Morocco filed a defamation lawsuit in Paris against Amnesty International and Forbidden Stories, the source of the espionage allegations against the kingdom.