Amnesty report reveals Moroccan journalists and activists targeted by Pegasus spyware

Amnesty International’s latest report, produced with 14 media outlets and coordinated by Forbidden Stories, details the deployment of Pegasus spyware by Morocco’s General Directorate for Territorial Surveillance (DGST) between 2017 and 2021. The investigation focuses on four individuals - journalist Omar Radi, veteran activist Fouad Abdelmoumni, human-rights lawyer Abdessadak El Bouchattaoui and exiled journalist Hicham Mansouri - who experienced battery drain, overheating phones and overt physical monitoring.

A former DGST employee, identified only as Safir, supplied inside information that Amnesty corroborated with technical evidence and ten victim interviews. The report links the spyware use to broader tactics such as covert filming, compromised phone-sale outlets, and neighborhood informants. Morocco has previously denied the allegations and did not reply to Amnesty’s invitation for a response. The findings raise concerns about state-led digital repression of dissent in the country.