During the French national assembly session, yesterday, Tuesday, member of the French Communist Party (PCF), Jean-Paul Lecoq addressed Morocco’s legal complaints against French media in the course of the deputies’ oral questions.
The Kingdom filed a lawsuit earlier this year against seven French media, including, le monde and Radio France, over “accusing Morocco of using the Pegasus software, to spy on journalists, activists and politicians.”
Rabat denounced the revealed information as “false, massive and malicious media campaign.”
Deputy for Seine-Maritime for the Democratic and Republican Left, member of the French Communist Party (PCF), Jean-Paul Lecoq addressed the French Prime Minister, describing the Moroccan legal action against French media as “totally political.”
The leftist politician Jean-Paul Lecoq, who called the Kingdom’s complaints “gag order against freedom of the press”, criticized the French government for “prioritizing protecting business secrets over press freedom.”
“Is it because of the trips of convenience offered by Morocco […] that ministers and parliamentarians no longer dare to be outraged at the unbearable actions of these states?” said Lecoq.
The French Secretary of State for European Affairs, Clément Beaune denied Lecoq’s accusations towards the ruling majority in France as he stressed that the French government takes the case seriously without any hesitation or indulgence.
“These procedures will take place and we obviously have confidence in their outcome. Simply, we have been very clear from the start as well: since the alleged facts are extremely serious – there is no doubt about this – we must be serious and precise to establish the whole truth, before any draw the necessary political or diplomatic consequences, if applicable,” added Beaune during the session.
Along with the French assembly session, on Tuesday, Paris Criminal Court examined the lawsuit filed by Morocco against seven French media outlets, including the newspaper L’Humanité, which the kingdom sued for “defamation” for an article titled, «cyber surveillance: in Morocco, the eyes of power and European profiles,” published in July, 30, 2021.
In front of the 17th chamber of the Paris court, a chamber dedicated to press’ cases in Paris Criminal Court, the prosecution declared its intention to plead the inadmissibility of Rabat’s lawsuit, which includes complaints against French media in Pegasus case.
A new hearing session was scheduled on December 6.
Regarding the same case, the Moroccan Kingdom has filed a lawsuit, also, against the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung, in addition to the Amnesty International association.
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