Tags : European Parliament, Catalangate, Pegasus, spying, Pedro Sanchez, Margarita Robles, Spain,
The Catalangate continues to stir reactions. The European Parliament has reiterated that Spain must ensure a « thorough, fair, and effective » investigation into the cases of espionage with Pegasus. Among them is the so-called Catalangate, a spying offensive that targeted around sixty independentist leaders, placing particular emphasis on the 47 individuals where it is not entirely clear who authorized the action.
In a report adopted this Thursday – by 391 votes in favor, 130 against, and 20 abstentions – during the session in Strasbourg on the violation of fundamental rights, the Members of the European Parliament have made specific recommendations for Spain, Hungary, Poland, Greece, and Cyprus, where they believe that European standards are not being met.
« Individual rights cannot be compromised by allowing unlimited access to surveillance, » they emphasize in the document.
The report voted on this Thursday reiterates the European Parliament’s « concern » regarding the use of programs such as Pegasus to spy on « individuals and high-profile personalities, such as journalists, politicians, bloggers, human rights defenders, politicians, and other actors.
» In this regard, they emphasize that the « illegitimate » use of these tools « affects the integrity of decision-making processes, thus undermining the democracy of the EU and highlighting the urgent need for greater transparency and increased legal accountability towards the industry. »
Indeed, the parliamentarians describe the spying practices as « alarming » and warn that « abuse » can ultimately have negative consequences « on fundamental rights, democracy, and electoral processes. » In the same vein, the European Parliament insists on the need for « credible » investigations and legislative changes to address the issue, and in the case of Spain, demands « real legal remedies » for those affected. « Scandals like this damage the image of the EU and must be addressed to restore the reputation and credibility of the Parliament in order to preserve the trust of citizens in European institutions, » concludes the report.
A month ago, the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, already stated that the government will declassify information about the wiretapping of the Catalan independence movement with the Pegasus software if a judge requests specific documents and « if it is appropriate and reasonable according to the law. » More than half a dozen judges in Barcelona are investigating this government espionage against political and social leaders, but only the judge handling the complaint filed by President Pere Aragonès has specifically requested it. In response, the government ended up declassifying these documents.
#Spain #EuropeanParliament #Pegasus #NSOGroup #Spying #PedroSanchez #MargaritaRobles #Catalangate
