Amnesty International has released a report detailing the Moroccan government's extensive surveillance network, which combines digital and analog tools to monitor and silence journalists, activists, and other critical voices. The report, titled "On commence par le verdict," exposes the methods used by Moroccan authorities to suppress dissenting voices, including illegal surveillance, judicial harassment, and other forms of repression. This apparatus has been used to target human rights defenders, journalists, and others who criticize the government.
According to Agnès Callamard, Secretary General of Amnesty International, Morocco has adopted "techno-authoritarian" practices, acquiring a wide range of surveillance technologies to create a repressive system designed to instill fear in human rights activists and journalists. These technologies allow the government to monitor and silence critics both within Morocco and abroad. Callamard emphasized that this system is specifically designed to intimidate and hinder the work of journalists and human rights defenders.
The Moroccan government has repeatedly denied using spy software to monitor its citizens. However, Amnesty International has gathered new evidence, including testimony from a whistleblower and leaked documents, that proves otherwise. These documents include surveillance data, government records of spy software targets, and archives of companies selling surveillance tools. This evidence reveals the extent of Morocco's surveillance capabilities and the international network of vendors that provide these tools.
Amnesty International's report details the various tools and techniques used by Moroccan authorities to monitor and suppress dissenting voices. These include high-tech spy software, eavesdropping systems, and tracking devices. The report also identifies the companies that provide these tools, including NSO Group, Hacking Team, and Gamma Group, among others. These companies are based in Israel, the European Union, and the United States.
The use of these surveillance tools has severe consequences for human rights defenders and journalists in Morocco. Those targeted often face judicial harassment, and even after being released from prison, they continue to live under surveillance and are subject to smear campaigns based on private information obtained through surveillance. Amnesty International is calling on the Moroccan government to immediately cease its illegal surveillance of human rights defenders and journalists.
The report highlights the existence of a global "economy of techno-oppression," where companies and governments collaborate to develop and deploy surveillance technologies that violate international human rights law. Amnesty International is urging governments and companies to respect their obligations under international law and to refrain from engaging in or enabling such repressive practices.
The organization is demanding that the Moroccan government take concrete steps to protect human rights defenders and journalists from surveillance and repression. This includes ending the use of spy software and other surveillance tools, releasing those unjustly detained, and providing redress to those who have been targeted. The international community is also being called upon to take action to prevent the proliferation of surveillance technologies that enable human rights abuses.
Key points
- Moroccan authorities use a vast surveillance apparatus to monitor and silence journalists and activists.
- The government has denied using spy software, but evidence suggests otherwise.
- Amnesty International is calling for an end to the illegal surveillance and for governments and companies to respect international human rights law.
