Morocco Sues Spanish Journalist Over Pegasus Spyware Hacking Allegations

Morocco has hired a lawyer in Spain to bring proceedings against Ignacio Cembrero, who had accused it of espionage using Pegasus, after Forbidden Stories, a network of 17 major media outlets, published the results of an investigation on July 18, 2021 accusing Morocco of having hacked some 10,000 mobile phones belonging to journalists, human rights activists and political figures.

At the time, Morocco had taken civil action against the Spanish journalist, arguing that these "serious accusations" had caused it harm and "tarnished its image in Spain and internationally". Although the "damage" suffered by Morocco is moral and therefore not quantifiable, the kingdom is demanding substantial financial compensation.

This new action brings to three the legal actions taken by Morocco against the journalist. The first two have already been dismissed. In early 2014, Morocco had seized the public prosecutor’s office to accuse Cembrero of apology for terrorism for having attached to one of his publications the first video of Al-Qaeda in the Maghreb devoted to Morocco. In June of the same year, it filed a complaint for the same reason before the National Court, which did not prosper either.

It is the law firm Ernesto Díaz-Bastien y Abogados, SLP (EDBA) that is defending Morocco in the Spanish courts against the accusations related to Pegasus. The new complaint filed by the firm against Cembrero aims to stop "the repeated publication and dissemination of slanderous and insulting information" against Morocco.