Pegasus Case: Morocco Files Injunction Request against Süddeutsche Zeitung GmbH Publishing Company

Morocco, represented by its ambassador in Berlin Zohour Alaoui, filed, on Monday in Germany, a request for an injunction against the newspaper publishing company “Süddeutsche Zeitung GmbH”, for “false allegations in connection with a coverage on the alleged use of Pegasus spyware by the Kingdom of Morocco”. According to the request, “Süddeutsche Zeitung GmbH had alleged in several reports, partly as established fact and partly as suspicion, that the Kingdom of Morocco had deployed the spy software called Pegasus and used it to spy on and tap the cell phones of many politicians, journalists and other people,” said the Moroccan embassy in Berlin in a statement. The Kingdom of Morocco, which strongly denies these allegations, has never acquired and therefore never used Pegasus spyware, the same source added. This action in Germany comes after the defamation proceedings already initiated by Morocco in France against Amnesty International, Forbidden Stories, Le Monde, Mediapart and Radio France. Indeed, on July 22, Morocco launched a first defamation proceedings against Amnesty International and Forbidden Stories, the two organizations behind Morocco’s accusations of infiltrating the phones of several national and foreign public figures through Pegasus software. On July 28, Morocco had filed with the French courts new direct defamation complaints against the daily Le Monde and its director Jérôme Fenoglio, the news site Mediapart and its owner Edwy Plenel, and Radio France. In an interview given recently to the pan-African magazine Jeune Afrique, Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans Abroad, Nasser Bourita, affirmed that any person or organization bringing accusations against Morocco, will have to provide proof, or assume its libelous denunciation in court. Morocco has chosen to trust justice, nationally and internationally, Bourita underlined in reaction to the persistent media campaign about an alleged infiltration of the phones of several national and foreign public figures through the computer software called Pegasus. Alongside the legal actions in France and Germany, Morocco has taken its own steps to prove the illegality of the allegations made against it. A renowned French group of experts is currently examining the technical elements related to these allegations and will prepare a special report.