Union of Arab Journalists Condemns Espionage Allegations Against Morocco

Rabat – The Union of Arab Journalists has joined the chorus, condemning espionage accusations targeting Morocco.

The union issued a press release today, recalling that no evidence has been presented by the complainants on Morocco’s alleged use of Pegasus spyware.

“The European Parliament and non-governmental organizations that accuse Morocco are unable to prove this with evidence and a conclusive argument. The matter remained allegations, without a scientific basis.”

The union also expressed astonishment over the French judiciary’s decision, denying Morocco’s right to ask French courts for evidence on the accusations published by a number of international news outlets.

Meanwhile, France’s courts accepted complaints filed by some French journalists, who claimed they “were spied on” by Morocco without providing any evidence to back the allegations.

“The Union condemns the position of the European Parliament, which refuses to consider reports, studies and research carried out by experts of various nationalities,” the press release said.

The union also stressed that the EU Parliament did not allow Morocco to present its arguments against the allegations that were presented without evidence.

The Pegasus case dates back to 2021, when NGOs Amnesty International and Forbidden Stories accused Morocco of using Israeli spyware to monitor activists, and journalists, including imprisoned journalist Omar Radi.

Morocco’s government has repeatedly called on the NGOs to provide evidence backing their claims. The North African country also announced a lawsuit against the NGOs and news outlets that shared the defamation report against Morocco without presenting evidence.

The situation further escalated after the European Union’s controversial decision to adopt a resolution, condemning Morocco for alleged breaches of press freedom.

On January 19, over 300 members of the European Parliament voted in favor of the resolution, accusing Morocco of “harassing” and “intimidating” journalists and activists.

A new report published by spyware and malware researcher Jonathan Scott, debunked NGOs’ unsupported claims against Morocco.

“Despite significant false positive results in forensics reports, the allegations against Morocco have continued to mount over time. The situation has reached a critical point, with the European Parliament ignoring scientific evidence that exonerates Morocco of any wrongdoing and instead passing a joint motion for resolution,” Scott said in his report.