Morocco Denies Involvement in NSO Spyware Allegations Amid Journalist Surveillance Claims

"The Moroccan authorities do not understand the context of the referral by the international consortium of journalists (Forbidden Stories) requesting responses and clarifications from the Moroccan government on the digital surveillance tools of the NSO group," the Moroccan authorities reacted through the Moroccan embassy in France.

The kingdom is accused of having notably spied on the Moroccan journalist Omar Radi prosecuted for "rape" and "undermining the internal security of the State", with "foreign financing". The embassy recalled that the Moroccan authorities had already denied this information. "The Moroccan authorities have remained since June 22, 2020 awaiting material evidence from Amnesty International which has been unable to prove any connection between Morocco and NSO," it said.

The Forbidden Stories Consortium and Amnesty International obtained 50,000 numbers, of which 10,000 were targeted by Morocco for potential surveillance as part of the investigation. At least the numbers of 180 journalists, 600 politicians, 85 human rights activists, or 65 business leaders, detail the 17 editorial offices including Radio France, Mediapart, The Washington Post, The Guardian or the newspaper Le Monde who participated in the investigation.