The scandal of the use of Israeli spy software Pegasus resurfaces and puts Morocco in the spotlight in Brussels. After the resolution on the situation of journalists imprisoned in the Cherifian Kingdom, accusations of spying on politicians and journalists will now be discussed for the first time by the Pegasus Committee in the European Parliament.
Parliamentary sources said it was important to put the subject on the table, as the committee had not yet addressed the case of Morocco. This decision was driven by Green MEPs and a meeting is scheduled for February 9, during which a panel of experts will be invited to speak.
These developments are the result of the outcry of the European Parliament following the corruption scandal involving Qatar and Morocco. On January 19, MEPs adopted for the first time in 25 years a resolution that criticized Morocco’s human rights record.
The Qatargate And Marocgate Revelations
Before the Qatargate and then Marocgate revelations, the Pegasus commission was only interested in the use of this spyware by European states, without addressing the key players in the scandal, such as Morocco. The latter had even allowed himself to file a complaint for defamation in France and Spain, and other member countries of the European Union had exerted pressure to limit the room for maneuver of MEPs.
But things have changed and Morocco is now suspected of being the source of the infection of several phones with Pegasus software manufactured by the Israeli firm NSO Group. He will have to answer questions from the Pegasus commission at the next meeting. In 2022, the European Parliament launched work to measure the extent of the spy scandal and make recommendations.
This article is originally published on algerie-focus.com
