Pegasus scandal: “Morocco has to accept that anything can be said”

Prompting his arrest was a Facebook post in which he referred to the use of Pegasus spyware by Moroccan authorities and mentioned Morocco’s “alleged involvement in spying on France.” Ironically, Abdelmoumni was himself targeted by the Israeli spyware, according to an assessment carried out by Citizen Lab in 2019. Now he finds himself in a situation where he, the victim, has become the accused.

Contacted by Forbidden Stories, he spoke out for the first time since his arrest. On the topic of human rights, he considers France to be “conspicuously silent.” When asked to comment, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not respond.

Why were you arrested?

According to the statement of facts, it was a Facebook post that incriminated me. In it, I said that the problem between Morocco and France is that France sees Morocco as a weak state, one that resorts to applying pressure on France by every possible means – including using Pegasus to spy. The authorities say I accused the Moroccan government of committing a knowingly fictitious crime and made a defamatory statement by writing that Morocco is weak, which constitutes an insult to our state in their eyes.

So, it’s forbidden to talk about Pegasus in Morocco?

It’s considered criminal to say that the Moroccan state has used Pegasus, since state “spokespeople” have declared the contrary. These “spokespeople” are the lawyers who, in France and Spain, have sued journalists and media outlets that published investigations into Pegasus. As such, there is an official state position: either you come up with indisputable material evidence proving that the Moroccan state has indeed used this software, or you are making false allegations about crimes you know did not take place.

You’re a victim of Pegasus, yet today you find yourself the accused. How do you intend to mount your defense?

There are several things. First, as an activist, it’s my duty to make available to the public and the authorities any piece of information on the activities of the state. But in addition to being a citizen and member of civil society, I’m also a plaintiff [as a victim of spying carried out with Pegasus]. As a plaintiff, I addressed the Moroccan authorities in 2019 to request that they carry out investigations. Nothing came of it. I asked the National Commission for the Protection of Personal Data to intervene. Again, nothing. Morocco has not deigned to set up a credible investigation commission to get to the bottom of things, as other countries have done. It’s a question of freedom. Within which limitations can we criticize the state? Moreover, in France and Spain, international jurisprudence has dismissed the Moroccan government’s complaints about the Pegasus affair. Justice deems that a state cannot claim to have been defamed and attack its citizens. Morocco must accept that anything can be said.

One might wonder about the timing of your arrest, which took place just as Emmanuel Macron was concluding a lavish visit to Morocco meant to celebrate “Franco-Moroccan reconciliation.” What are your thoughts?

Personally, I’m not jumping to any conclusions. This has been hanging over my head for months, if not years. There has certainly been a tangled web of different threads that led to this decision. And at the same time, the interrogation showed that the charges were ridiculous. For me, we’re in a situation where the Moroccan state resorts to repression in a relatively muted but fairly systematic way.

To date, there has been no official reaction from France about your arrest. What do you think about that?

For a long time now, France hasn’t shown any concern for its image as a guarantor of human rights. Even when it comes to its own nationals, the government is conspicuously silent.