Morocco Demands Proof in Pegasus Spyware Allegations, Threatens Legal Action

"Justice is precisely there to verify the accusations against the yardstick of material and tangible evidence. Some people have chosen this path. They will assert the evidence they have, or do not have. [...] Morocco too has chosen to trust justice, internally and internationally," said the head of Moroccan diplomacy in an interview with Jeune Afrique. For Nasser Bourita, the revelations about the Pegasus software are a "smokescreen," and a "bluff [...] put together from scratch and without any proof."

He calls for "shedding light on the facts, away from controversy and slander." "This is what neither Forbidden Stories nor Amnesty International do, who rely solely on pure speculation," says the head of Moroccan diplomacy. According to him, certain titles syndicated within this international consortium "serve well-known agendas for their primary hostility towards Morocco and are "ulcerated by its successes under the leadership of King [Mohammed VI]."

The minister denounces a "large-scale sabotage" that has nothing to do with journalism. "Some in this cartel of media outlets and NGOs cannot get used to the reality of a successful, strengthening and consolidating Morocco in its sovereignty at all levels," he adds, noting that today’s Morocco is an influential and indispensable regional player, whose voice is heard within major international and continental institutions such as the UN and the AU.

"Today’s Morocco is a ’provider of peace and security’ in its regional environment and a ’reliable security partner’ to several countries in the international fight against terrorism, which it has helped thwart terrorist attacks, including in the United States, in several European, Asian and African countries," adds the head of Moroccan diplomacy. "With the satisfaction of a duty accomplished and the recognition of friends and partners, we therefore gladly do without the satisfaction of Amnesty International and Forbidden Stories," noted Nasser Bourita.