2023-05-10 15:11:00
- The Spanish government has not collaborated with this Committee of the European Parliament that was investigating the use of the Pegasus tool in Spain and other countries and neither the reform of the CNI announced by the government nor the judicial investigation of the espionage cases are advancing.
In response to the final recommendations and report published today by the PEGA committee of the European Parliament, calling on the European Union (EU) to more strictly regulate the use, manufacture and trade of spyware, Donncha Ó Cearbhaill , director of Amnesty International’s Security Laboratory, said:
“The recommendations of the PEGA committee of the European Parliament highlight the problem of misuse of spyware for illegal surveillance, but tighter limits are needed to effectively address this issue. It is disappointing that the suggestions fall short of calling for an immediate moratorium on the sale, acquisition, transfer and use of spyware. Credible investigations into the misuse of these programs, as well as justice for the victims, are also needed.”
“We applaud the call to strengthen human rights safeguards in the use of spyware, but it remains to be seen whether these will be put into practice and can prevent abuses from taking place. As recent revelations show, even the strongest human rights protections won’t protect us against spyware like Pegasus, which is why we urgently need a ban on these invasive tools.”
“There is a culture of Impunity around selective digital surveillance that must be urgently combated. EU Member States must ensure that the recommendations of the PEGA Commission are translated into concrete measures.”
“Although not binding, the vote is one of the most significant responses by lawmakers to the Project Pegasus revelations. The commission of inquiry recommends the establishment of common EU standards which, if adopted, would be a positive step, even if further steps are required in the future.”
Spain: espionage confirmed
Given the fact that this Commission of Investigation has confirmed the espionage of 65 people from the pro-independence environment of Catalonia by Spanish authorities and that the Spanish government has not wanted to collaborate with this committee, alleging reasons of national security, the Amnesty International researcher , Virginia Álvarez, stated:
“The Spanish authorities have refused to give official confirmation of the acquisition of the Pegasus program, despite the fact that various sources -including a former employee of the NSO group- point out that the Spanish government has been a client of this company.”
“Although the report confirms many of the complaints that we had made, many questions will remain unanswered until there is a profound reform of the Official Secrets Law and the law that regulates the actions of the CNI. Until then, the legislation will continue to allow the Government to act with zero transparency and will not offer guarantees to avoid abuses and arbitrary uses such as those that have been confirmed”.
The Commission highlights its concern about the little or no progress in judicial investigations into the 65 cases denounced, nor among the 18 that the Government itself has recognized, due in large part to the lack of cooperation from the Spanish authorities. In addition, it is highlighted that the telephones are investigated by the same police that are accused of espionage and not by an independent body. This means denying victims access to effective reparation.”
“The Commission’s analysis points to a clear pattern of espionage, carried out between 2017 and 2020 coinciding with relevant political episodes in Spain. It is disturbing to once again confirm the massive espionage of political personalities and Catalan civil society linked to the independence movement, including their communications with their legal defenses”.
Additional information
Of the 65 reported cases, Amnesty International carried out expert analysis of the terminals of four, confirming espionage in the cases of Elisenda Paluzie and Sònia Urpí Garcia, who work with the Catalan National Assembly, the journalist Meritxell Bonet and the politician, university professor and Catalan activist Jordi Sànchez.
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