Pegasus Affair: Morocco Takes Legal Action Against German Newspaper

Morocco took similar legal proceedings against other websites publishing espionage allegations against the country.

Morocco has filed a lawsuit against German newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung for promoting “false” allegations that accused Rabat of using the  Israeli Pegasus spyware.

Morocco’s ambassador to Berlin Zohour Alaoui filed the complaint against the newspaper on Monday, state media reported.

The legal request came after the German newspaper claimed that Morocco had “deployed” the espionage software to intercept the cellphones of many politicians, reporters, and others.

Morocco has strongly denied the claims, affirming that it had never acquired nor used the Pegasus spyware.

This is not the first time for Morocco to file a legal case against foreign publications accusing it of illegitimate spying.

On July 22, Morocco also filed a defamation lawsuit against Amnesty International and Forbidden Stories.

The two NGOs spearheaded the report that accused Morocco of using the Pegasus program, an accusation that was soon repeated by other international news outlets.

Morocco filed further lawsuits on July 28, including one against French news outlet Le Monde and its director Jerome Fenoglio.

Morocco has also filed legal proceedings against Mediapart and Radio France.

At the beginning of the Pegasus claims, the Moroccan government issued a series of communiques in which it denounced the unrelenting defamation campaign it has suffered at the hands of the Amnesty- and Forbidden Stories-led consortium of media organizations. 

In a recent interview with Jeune Afrique, Morocco’s Foreign Affairs Minister Nasser Bourita denounced what he described as some parties' politically motivated obsession with discrediting Morocco. 

In the interview, Bourita pointed out that the people and organizations targeting Morocco have tellingly failed to provide any factual evidence in support of their claims. 

“Morocco has chosen to trust justice, domestically and internationally,” Bourita said, emphasizing the country’s rejection of the persistent media campaign against its global image.

Meanwhile, Amid the Pegasus development, a number of public figures in France have backed Morocco and questioned the accuracy of the Pegasus project's main allegations.

Bernard Squarcini, the former head of the French Central Directorate of Domestic Intelligence (DCRI), noted last month that it is highly improbable that Morocco used the Israeli software to spy on senior French officials, including President Emmanuel Macron.

“Morocco is a partner,” Squarcini said of the strong ties between Paris and Rabat.

Source: Morocco World News.