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UN Rights Chief concerned over ‘Pegasus’

21 Jul 2021

  • Spyware used to surveil journos, HR defenders, politicos
  • Same spyware Harin accused GoSL of using
By Pamodi Waravita  United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet has called the apparent widespread use of the spyware “Pegasus” to spy on journalists, human rights defenders, and politicians around the world as “extremely alarming”, following the leak of a list of about 50,000 phone numbers of people allegedly of interest to clients of the Israeli technology firm behind the software, NSO Group.  “Various parts of the UN human rights system, including my own office, have repeatedly raised serious concerns about the dangers of authorities using surveillance tools from a variety of sources, supposed to promote public safety, to hack the phones and computers of people conducting legitimate journalistic activities, monitoring human rights, or expressing dissent or political opposition. The use of surveillance software has been linked to the arrest, intimidation, and even killings of journalists and human rights defenders,” she stated on Monday (19). “Journalists and human rights defenders play an indispensable role in our societies, and when they are silenced, we all suffer. I would like to remind all States that surveillance measures can only be justified in narrowly defined circumstances, with a legitimate goal. And they must be both necessary and proportionate to that goal.”  Reportedly, more than 180 journalists, three sitting Presidents, including current French President Emmanuel Macron, three current Prime Ministers, seven former Prime Ministers, and one King are included in the list.  “Given the fact that Pegasus spyware, as well as that created by Candiru and others, enable extremely deep intrusions into people’s devices, resulting in insights into all aspects of their lives, their use can only ever be justified in the context of investigations into serious crimes and grave security threats. If the recent allegations about the use of Pegasus are even partly true, then that red line has been crossed again and again with total impunity,” said Bachelet.  In March of this year, Opposition Samagi Jana Balawegeya (SJB) MP Harin Fernando, during a Parliamentary session, accused the current Government of using the same spyware to monitor both Opposition and pro-Government politicians. “A person should have a right to privacy and the right to hold their own political ideologies without fear,” stressed Fernando at the time.   Cabinet Spokesman and Mass Media Minister Keheliya Rambukwella has reportedly stated that although the likelihood of the use of the Pegasus spyware in Sri Lanka cannot be ruled out, there is no assertive evidence on the matter. When contacted, the Free Media Movement (FMM) was not aware of the matter as far as it pertained to Sri Lanka.

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