|
Reports in 2021 by the Associated Press that the software,
developed by Israel-based NSO Group was used to hack the phones
of government critics, including a senator for the largest
opposition party, have drawn accusations that security services
are eroding democratic norms.
Gazeta Wyborcza, a liberal daily which is highly critical of
ruling nationalists Law and Justice (PiS), reported that the
phone of Jacek Karnowski, mayor of the Baltic seaside resort of
Sopot, was hacked in 2018-2019, when he was working on the
opposition's campaign for elections to the upper house of
parliament, the Senate.
It said that his number appeared on a list that it had access to
as part of the investigative journalism initiative the Pegasus
Project.
"We will not allow the PiS machine to further destroy democracy,
lead Poland to the East and sovietise our country," Karnowski
said in a statement sent to Reuters. "The politicians who
inspired and commissioned these activities belong in prison."
Polish government spokesman Piotr Muller told private
broadcaster RMF FM that he did not know about actions taken by
special services concerning specific individuals, but that no
laws had been broken.
"No actions that would break legal regulations took place," he
said. "I was assured of this by the services."
A spokesman for the Polish security services could not
immediately be reached for comment.
Senior figures in the PiS government have previously confirmed
that it bought the sophisticated spyware, but denied that it had
been used against political opponents.
Israel has come under global pressure over allegations that
Pegasus has been abused by some foreign client governments to
spy on human rights activists, journalists and politicians.
NSO has said it cannot confirm or deny any existing or potential
customers for Pegasus. It said it does not operate the system
once sold to its governmental customers nor is it involved in
any way in the system's operation.
(Reporting by Alan Charlish and Pawel Florkiewicz; Editing by
Toby Chopra)
[© 2023 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2022 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
|
|
