Moroccan investigative journalist Omar Radi spent two years noticing odd behavior on his phone—rapid battery drain, rising temperatures, and sluggish network speeds—before discovering in 2020 that he was targeted with Pegasus spyware. Radi's experience is highlighted in a report by Amnesty International and 14 media organizations titled We Start With the Verdict: Inside Morocco’s Surveillance Machine, which details systematic digital and physical monitoring of Moroccan journalists, lawyers, and activists.
The report draws on technical evidence, interviews, and testimony from a whistleblower codenamed "Safir," identified as a former employee of Morocco’s General Directorate for Territorial Surveillance (DGST). According to the investigation, the DGST deployed spyware developed by Israeli firm NSO Group alongside physical surveillance methods. Alleged tactics included coopting phone shops to sell pre-infected devices, monitoring internet cafe computers, recruiting neighborhood informants, and installing hidden cameras in private homes.
Amnesty's analysis matched 103 Moroccan phone numbers entered into Pegasus targeting records between September and December 2017, identifying 65 civil society members, including 22 journalists and 34 human rights defenders. Prominent targets named alongside Radi include veteran activist Fouad Abdelmoumni, human rights lawyer Abdessadak El Bouchattaoui, and exiled journalist Hicham Mansouri. Other journalists described additional pressure tactics in Morocco, such as fabricated criminal charges and online smear campaigns designed to intimidate investigative reporters.
Moroccan authorities have consistently rejected Amnesty's allegations, challenging the organization to provide concrete material evidence. Domestic media outlets, including Le360, argued that a phone number's presence in Pegasus records does not prove device infection or establish who ordered an attack. Moroccan officials did not respond to pre-publication inquiries from Amnesty or Al Jazeera regarding the latest findings.