THE WORLD IS WATCHING INDIA
PEGASUS
SPYWARE – INDIA CRIES CONSPIRACY WHILE OTHERS INVESTIGATE ITS MISUSE
17 media partners in 10 countries found that Pegasus is being used to spy on human rights defenders, academics, journalists, political figures….“In India, it was used to hack journalists and others. May be a vast surveillance net in Modi’s India”. Washington Post
The list includes political prisoners Umar Khalid and 8 defendants in the Bhima Koregaon case.
The list includes political prisoners Umar Khalid and 8 defendants in the Bhima Koregaon case.
THE INDIAN GOVERNMENT’S RESPONSE
- The project is an “attempt to malign Indian democracy and its well-established institutions”. – IT Minister
- Amnesty International, which had access to the leaked data, has “an anti-India agenda”. – Former IT Minister
- “This is a report by the disrupters for the obstructers. Disrupters are global organisations which do not like India to progress. Obstructers are political players in India who do not want India to progress.” – Home Minister
- Raids on the offices of a Hindi newspaper which featured a story about the investigation’s findings prominently.
- Some pushback from the West Bengal state government and Opposition parties.
Meanwhile, in other countries…
- Israel establishes a review commission to probe use of Pegasus spyware
- French prosecutors initiate investigation into use of Pegasus spyware targeting French journalists.
- Mexican president opens corruption investigation into use of Pegasus spyware.
- Prosecutors in Hungary launch probe.
- Four American legislators call for curbing or shutting down of companies that sell spyware.
The World Is Watching India 