Pegasus: Greens/EFA call for inquiry committee

Following the debate among the political groups in the European Parliament today, on the need to establish an inquiry committee into the Pegasus spyware scandal, Philippe Lamberts MEP, Greens/EFA Group President, comments:

“The Pegasus scandal reveals nothing less than the illegal and abusive use of cyber-surveillance weapons against our fellow citizens. Pegasus is not a case of espionage between the powerful of this world, this case proves that the rights of journalists, activists, politicians and citizens are under threat. The EU has stood by on the issue of surveillance for too long. Silence and inaction are no longer possible in the light of the allegations that EU Member States such as Hungary are utilising surveillance tools against citizens.

“This is why we are calling for an inquiry committee to expose the extent of these illegal hacking practices. Starting with establishing which European countries use Pegasus or similar spyware. We must uncover which states are responsible and take out the appropriate sanctions accordingly. This Committee of inquiry is an indispensable step towards a regulatory framework for the conditions of export, sale, transfer and use of cyber surveillance technologies.

“We know the risks inherent in these technologies, which are now used to monitor, intimidate, silence and ultimately endanger our democracies. We must therefore protect our fellow citizens from this new era of state surveillance. This begins by obtaining the truth about these serious attacks on our fundamental rights.”