President Salih on Pegasus spyware list: Washington Post
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Iraqi President Barham Salih is one of 14 current and former heads of state on a list for potential surveillance by the Pegasus spyware, the Washington Post reported on Tuesday. Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani was also targeted.
Israeli NSO Group’s Pegasus military-grade spyware has been licensed to governments to track terrorists and criminals. An investigation by Washington Post and 16 other media outlets, assisted by Amnesty International, into a list of 50,000 leaked phone numbers found the spyware was being used to target journalists, human rights activists, and heads of state.
The spyware, when installed on victims’ phones, allows complete access to messages, emails, media, microphones, camera, calls, and contacts.
Salih was added to the list the year after he was elected president.
In addition to Salih, France’s Emmanuel Macron, South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa, Morocco’s King Mohammed VI, three sitting prime ministers, and seven former prime ministers are on the list.
The Washington Post said the purpose of the list is unknown and it cannot confirm if all the numbers are current or active.
Other Iraqis also appeared on the list, according to Daraj, another media outlet investigating Pegasus. Mustafa al-Kadhimi, the prime minister, was added when he was the head of Iraq’s intelligence service. Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, head of the Hikma bloc Ammar al-Hakim, and Lt. Gen. Ali al-Araji had also been tapped.
Many politicians and militia leaders with ties to Iran, including deceased Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) deputy commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, and the PMF’s Qassem Musleh, accused in the murders of activists, were also targeted, as was Iran’s ambassador to Baghdad.
Kurds were also targeted, including Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, whose phone was exposed to the UAE for about a year and a half, and his security advisor Hamdi Sinjari.
The Iraqis and Kurds were targeted by agencies linked to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), according to Daraj.
NSO Group has denied the allegations. “The fact that a number appears on that list is in no way indicative of whether that number was selected for surveillance using Pegasus. NSO is not related to the list [of numbers], it is not an NSO list, and it never was. It is not a list of targets or potential targets of NSO’s customers,” the technology firm stated.
It described its work as a “life-saving mission,” saying its technology has “helped prevent terror attacks, gun violence, car explosions and suicide bombings. The technologies are also being used every day to break up paedophilia, sex- and drug-trafficking rings, locate missing and kidnapped children, locate survivors trapped under collapsed buildings, and protect airspace against disruptive penetration by dangerous drones.”
According to Amnesty International, the “Pegasus Project” investigation identified at least 180 journalists on the list. The rights monitor said the spyware technology was being used to intimidate critical media and control narratives. Family members of murdered Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi are on the list.
“The Pegasus Project lays bare how NSO’s spyware is a weapon of choice for repressive governments seeking to silence journalists, attack activists and crush dissent, placing countless lives in peril,” said Agnes Callamard, secretary general of Amnesty International. “While the company claims its spyware is only used for legitimate criminal and terror investigations, it’s clear its technology facilitates systemic abuse. They paint a picture of legitimacy, while profiting from widespread human rights violations.”
Amnesty called on NSO Group to shut down its systems where there is evidence of misuse.
Israeli NSO Group’s Pegasus military-grade spyware has been licensed to governments to track terrorists and criminals. An investigation by Washington Post and 16 other media outlets, assisted by Amnesty International, into a list of 50,000 leaked phone numbers found the spyware was being used to target journalists, human rights activists, and heads of state.
The spyware, when installed on victims’ phones, allows complete access to messages, emails, media, microphones, camera, calls, and contacts.
Salih was added to the list the year after he was elected president.
In addition to Salih, France’s Emmanuel Macron, South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa, Morocco’s King Mohammed VI, three sitting prime ministers, and seven former prime ministers are on the list.
The Washington Post said the purpose of the list is unknown and it cannot confirm if all the numbers are current or active.
Other Iraqis also appeared on the list, according to Daraj, another media outlet investigating Pegasus. Mustafa al-Kadhimi, the prime minister, was added when he was the head of Iraq’s intelligence service. Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, head of the Hikma bloc Ammar al-Hakim, and Lt. Gen. Ali al-Araji had also been tapped.
Many politicians and militia leaders with ties to Iran, including deceased Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) deputy commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, and the PMF’s Qassem Musleh, accused in the murders of activists, were also targeted, as was Iran’s ambassador to Baghdad.
Kurds were also targeted, including Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, whose phone was exposed to the UAE for about a year and a half, and his security advisor Hamdi Sinjari.
The Iraqis and Kurds were targeted by agencies linked to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), according to Daraj.
NSO Group has denied the allegations. “The fact that a number appears on that list is in no way indicative of whether that number was selected for surveillance using Pegasus. NSO is not related to the list [of numbers], it is not an NSO list, and it never was. It is not a list of targets or potential targets of NSO’s customers,” the technology firm stated.
It described its work as a “life-saving mission,” saying its technology has “helped prevent terror attacks, gun violence, car explosions and suicide bombings. The technologies are also being used every day to break up paedophilia, sex- and drug-trafficking rings, locate missing and kidnapped children, locate survivors trapped under collapsed buildings, and protect airspace against disruptive penetration by dangerous drones.”
According to Amnesty International, the “Pegasus Project” investigation identified at least 180 journalists on the list. The rights monitor said the spyware technology was being used to intimidate critical media and control narratives. Family members of murdered Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi are on the list.
“The Pegasus Project lays bare how NSO’s spyware is a weapon of choice for repressive governments seeking to silence journalists, attack activists and crush dissent, placing countless lives in peril,” said Agnes Callamard, secretary general of Amnesty International. “While the company claims its spyware is only used for legitimate criminal and terror investigations, it’s clear its technology facilitates systemic abuse. They paint a picture of legitimacy, while profiting from widespread human rights violations.”
Amnesty called on NSO Group to shut down its systems where there is evidence of misuse.
Updated at 3:05 pm