PARIS: Morocco has filed defamation claims against Amnesty International and a French NGO who claim its intelligence services used the Pegasus mobile phone spyware against dozens of French journalists, lawyers for the government said Thursday.
Paris prosecutors opened their own inquiry this week into the claims by Amnesty and the French media nonprofit Forbidden Stories, revealed by media outlets including The Washington Post and French daily Le Monde.
They are based on a leaked list of 50,000 phone numbers allegedly targeted by the Pegasus cellphone surveillance program from Israel’s NSO Group.
“The Moroccan state... wants all possible light cast on these false allegations from these two organizations, who make claims without any concrete or demonstrative evidence whatsoever,” the lawyer, Olivier Baratelli, said in a statement.
A first hearing is set for October 8 in Paris, though a trial might not open for another two years.
Moroccan King Mohammed VI’s phone and those of other royals are also on the list of numbers identified as potential Pegasus targets by Moroccan intelligence services, Radio France reported Tuesday.
French President Emmanuel Macron called an urgent national security meeting Thursday to discuss the reports about Pegasus’ use in France.
Evidence of an attempted hacking was found on the phone of former environment minister and close Macron ally Francois de Rugy, with the attempt allegedly originating in Morocco.
Morocco has denied the claims, saying this week that it “never acquired computer software to infiltrate communication devices.”
Its government “does not intend to let the multiple lies and fake news spread these past few days go unpunished,” Baratelli said.
Morocco files French libel suit over Pegasus spyware claim
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Morocco files French libel suit over Pegasus spyware claim
- Morocco has filed defamation claims against Amnesty International and a French NGO over Pegasus mobile phone spyware claim
- Moroccan King Mohammed VI’s phone and those of other royals are also on the list of numbers identified as potential Pegasus targets
Paris exhibition marks 200 years of Le Figaro and the enduring power of the press
- The exhibition celebrated the bicentennial of Le Figaro, offering visitors a rare opportunity to step inside the newspaper’s vast historical archive
PARIS: One of France’s most influential newspapers marked a major milestone this month with a landmark exhibition beneath the soaring glass nave of the Grand Palais, tracing two centuries of journalism, literature and political debate.
Titled 1826–2026: 200 years of freedom, the exhibition celebrated the bicentennial of Le Figaro, offering visitors a rare opportunity to step inside the newspaper’s vast historical archive. Held over three days in mid-January, the free exhibition drew large crowds eager to explore how the title has both chronicled and shaped modern French history.
More than 300 original items were displayed, including historic front pages, photographs, illustrations and handwritten manuscripts. Together, they charted Le Figaro’s evolution from a 19th-century satirical publication into a leading national daily, reflecting eras of revolution, war, cultural change and technological disruption.
The exhibition unfolded across a series of thematic spaces, guiding visitors through defining moments in the paper’s past — from its literary golden age to its role in political debate and its transition into the digital era. Particular attention was paid to the newspaper’s long association with prominent writers and intellectuals, underscoring the close relationship between journalism and cultural life in France.
Beyond the displays, the program extended into live journalism. Public editorial meetings, panel discussions and film screenings invited audiences to engage directly with editors, writers and media figures, turning the exhibition into a forum for debate about the future of the press and freedom of expression.
Hosted at the Grand Palais, the setting itself reinforced the exhibition’s ambition: to place journalism firmly within the country’s cultural heritage. While the exhibition has now concluded, the bicentennial celebrations continue through special publications and broadcasts, reaffirming Le Figaro’s place in France’s public life — and the enduring relevance of a free and questioning press in an age of rapid change.
