Moroccan intelligence uses surveillance to ‘silence’ journalists: Amnesty

Probe finds spyware, hidden microphones and pre-infected phones used to surveil journalists, activists, rights defenders.

The Moroccan flag [File:Tullio M. Puglia/Getty Images]

Amnesty International has denounced Morocco’s intelligence agency for using spyware, hidden microphones and pre-infected phones in the “unlawful surveillance” of journalists and human rights defenders.

Moroccan authorities host an “expansive and vast” surveillance apparatus that they use to “ultimately silence journalists, activists and other critical voices”, the rights NGO said in a report published on Thursday.

list 1 of 3 Mahsa Amini death four years on: Iranians reflect on ‘Woman, Life, Freedom’

list 2 of 3 Palestine Action protesters arrested outside UK Labour Party conference

list 3 of 3 ‘Dire situation’: Lebanese prisoners on hunger strike for 18 days

The report, Inside Morocco’s surveillance machine, is based on the testimony of a former employee of the Moroccan domestic intelligence service (DGST), as well as leaked documents and journalistic investigations.

NGOs, including Amnesty, have for years accused Morocco of using Pegasus spyware, developed by the Israeli NSO Group, to monitor journalists, activists and political figures.

Rabat has repeatedly denied using spyware against its citizens. Amnesty said it wrote to Moroccan authorities four weeks before publication and received no response. Al Jazeera could not immediately reach Moroccan officials for comment.

In its report, Amnesty identified the DGST as the body responsible for deploying Pegasus in Morocco, saying the agency used the spyware against activists and journalists between 2017 and 2021.

Amnesty said Moroccan authorities combined “high-tech tools” like Pegasus with more traditional techniques like tailing and wiretapping.

“People are secretly videoed and audio recorded in detention, in their own offices and cars, and even in their own bedrooms,” the report says, citing the whistleblower.

“Phone calls are systematically recorded and spied upon,” and “shops sell mobile phones pre-infected with malware by DGST agents”.

The personal data collected on activists and human rights defenders is used to fuel public smear campaigns against them, according to the NGO.

The whistleblower said the agency infected internet cafes with remote-controlled spyware, and that devices were physically compromised at airports. He added that microphones were hidden in the light fixtures of the apartment of journalist Omar Radi, who was later imprisoned.

Amnesty said it matched 103 Moroccan phone numbers entered into the Pegasus system between September and December 2017 to specific individuals. Of these, 65 were civil society members, including 34 human rights defenders and 22 journalists and media workers. Another 25 were political figures or officials, and five were diplomats or representatives of international organisations.

“These records show the phone numbers of prominent human rights defenders and journalists were among the first to be entered into the Pegasus system,” said Donncha O Cearbhaill, head of Amnesty’s Security Lab.

Amnesty said it also found evidence of spyware delivered over the state-owned Maroc Telecom network, and that Morocco bought tools from companies based in Israel, the European Union and the United States.

“Morocco has wholly embraced techno-authoritarian practices,” Amnesty Secretary-General Agnes Callamard said.

Amnesty called on Morocco to end the surveillance and on states to halt spyware exports to the country until human rights safeguards are in place.

The investigation was part of a collaboration with 14 media organisations coordinated by Forbidden Stories.

调查发现，间谍软件、隐藏麦克风和预先感染病毒的手机被用于监视记者、活动人士和人权捍卫者。

摩洛哥国旗 [图片来源：Tullio M. Puglia/Getty Images]

国际特赦组织谴责摩洛哥情报机构使用间谍软件、隐藏麦克风和预先感染病毒的手机对记者和人权捍卫者进行“非法监视”。

该人权非政府组织在周四发布的一份报告中称，摩洛哥当局拥有“庞大而广泛的”监控体系，他们利用该体系“最终目的是压制记者、活动人士和其他批评声音”。

列表 1/3：玛莎·阿米尼逝世四周年：伊朗人反思《女人、生命、自由》

在英国工党大会场外被捕的巴勒斯坦行动组织抗议者名单之二（共三人）

列表 3/3 “严峻形势”：黎巴嫩囚犯绝食 18 天

这份名为《摩洛哥监控机器内幕》的报告，是根据摩洛哥国内情报局（DGST）一名前雇员的证词、泄露的文件和新闻调查撰写而成。

包括国际特赦组织在内的多个非政府组织多年来一直指责摩洛哥使用以色列 NSO 集团开发的 Pegasus 间谍软件来监视记者、活动人士和政治人物。

拉巴特方面一再否认使用间谍软件监视其公民。大赦国际表示，他们在本文发表前四周曾致函摩洛哥当局，但未收到任何回复。半岛电视台未能立即联系到摩洛哥官员置评。

在报告中，大赦国际指出，摩洛哥电信安全总局（DGST）是负责在摩洛哥部署“飞马”间谍软件的机构，并称该机构在 2017 年至 2021 年间利用该间谍软件对付活动人士和记者。

国际特赦组织表示，摩洛哥当局将“高科技工具”（如飞马系统）与跟踪和窃听等更传统的技术相结合。

报告援引举报人的话称：“人们在拘留期间、在自己的办公室和汽车里，甚至在自己的卧室里都会被秘密拍摄视频和录音。”

“电话通话被系统性地录音和监听”，“商店出售的手机已被税务总局的代理人预先感染了恶意软件”。

该非政府组织称，收集到的活动人士和人权捍卫者的个人数据被用来煽动针对他们的公开抹黑运动。

举报人称，该机构在网吧植入了远程控制的间谍软件，并在机场对设备进行了物理入侵。他还补充说，记者奥马尔·拉迪（Omar Radi）的公寓灯具中被隐藏了麦克风，拉迪后来因此被捕入狱。

国际特赦组织表示，他们已将2017年9月至12月期间录入“飞马”（Pegasus）系统的103个摩洛哥电话号码与特定个人进行了匹配。其中，65人为民间社会成员，包括34名人权捍卫者和22名记者及媒体工作者；另有25人为政治人物或官员；5人为外交官或国际组织代表。

“这些记录显示，一些著名人权捍卫者和记者的电话号码是最早被录入飞马系统（Pegasus system）的号码之一，”大赦国际安全实验室负责人唐查·奥·卡巴尔（Donncha O Cearbhaill）说。

国际特赦组织表示，他们还发现了通过国有的摩洛哥电信网络传播间谍软件的证据，并且摩洛哥从以色列、欧盟和美国的公司购买了这些工具。

“摩洛哥已经完全接受了技术威权主义的做法，”大赦国际秘书长阿格尼斯·卡拉马尔说。

国际特赦组织呼吁摩洛哥停止监控，并呼吁各国停止向该国出口间谍软件，直到该国落实人权保障措施。

这项调查是 Forbidden Stories 协调的与 14 家媒体机构合作的一部分。