Pegasus

Buchzusammenfassung

Laurent Richard is a French journalist and cofounder of Forbidden Stories, an organization dedicated to continuing and publishing the work of other journalists who have been murdered, jailed, or threatened. He has been conducting international investigations for over 20 years, and in 2018 he was named “European Journalist of the Year” at the Prix Europa in Berlin.

Amid the turbulence of the Covid-19 pandemic and political unrest in early 2021, Laurent Richard and Sandrine Rigaud sought the Washington Post’s support to amplify their investigation into Pegasus spyware, complementing the backing they had already secured from major European outlets. A brief but pivotal meeting with Jeff Leen, head of the Post’s investigative units, secured critical resources for their project. Over the following months, the team worked meticulously to analyze data and collaborate with global partners while maintaining strict confidentiality. Evidence mounted of Pegasus’s misuse, including surveillance of journalists by the Moroccan government, suppression of dissent in Mexico, and Saudi Arabia’s targeting of Jamal Khashoggi’s relatives before his assassination. Before publication, Laurent and Sandrine confronted NSO Group with their findings, prompting dismissive denials and legal threats, though none addressed the core allegations. On July 18, 2021, the Pegasus Project was unveiled simultaneously by seventeen major media outlets across ten countries, marking the culmination of a methodical investigation that had begun with a leaked list of 50,000 phone numbers. The team’s efforts to verify the list’s authenticity included persuading Jorge Carrasco, director of *Proceso*, to allow forensic analysis of his phone, which confirmed the spyware’s presence. This breakthrough, achieved through encrypted communications and specialized tools, highlighted the grave implications of Pegasus’s misuse, including its targeting of journalists, activists, and even French President Emmanuel Macron. Laurent and Sandrine’s mission to expose these abuses underscored the stakes for democracy and free speech, as they worked tirelessly to transform leaked data into undeniable evidence while evading powerful adversaries.

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