U.N. Experts Seek Halt to Use of Government Spyware and Want Full Probe Stephanie Nebehay - Thomson Reuters
go to original July 19, 2017

Mexico Spied on Human Rights Investigators & Families of Missing Students Instead of the Kidnappers See part 2 below (Democracy Now!)

U.N. human rights experts have called on the government of Mexico to "cease the surveillance immediately" of activists and journalists and to conduct a fully impartial investigation into the illegal spying.

In the latest case, an international probe into the 2014 disappearance of 43 students in Mexico was targeted with spying software sold to governments to fight criminals and terrorists, according to a report published last week.

Civilians in Mexico have been targeted by the software known as Pegasus, which Israeli company NSO Group only sells to governments, according to the report by Citizen Lab, a group of researchers based at the University of Toronto's Munk School of Global Affairs.

"We urge the Government to commit to cease the surveillance immediately," the independent U.N. experts said in a joint statement demanding effective controls over the security and intelligence services.
 

Citizen Lab's Ron Deibert Exposes How Nations Use Cyber Warfare to Target Activists & Journalists (Democracy Now!)

"The allegations of surveillance, which represent a serious violation of the rights to privacy, freedom of opinion and expression, and freedom of association, are highly concerning and are evidence of the hostile and threatening environment that human rights defenders, social activists and journalists face in Mexico today," they said.

Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto has asked the attorney general's office to investigate previous charges that the government spied on private citizens, saying he wanted to get to the bottom of the accusations that he called "false."

Read the rest at U.S. News

Related: Mexico Spyware Scandal a Gift for Organized Crime (InSight Crime)

We invite you to add your charity or supporting organizations' news stories and coming events to PVAngels so we can share them with the world. Do it now!