US Rights Lawyer Rebuts Forbidden Stories’ Allegations against Morocco

Irina Tsukerman, a human rights and national security lawyer and president of U.S. media consulting firm “Scarab Rising”, refuted Forbidden Stories’ accusations against Morocco, accusing the organization of being an unreliable source.
In an interview with weekly “Maroc-Hebdo”, the lawyer affirmed that she has studied the methodology by Citizen Lab, Amnesty International, and ACCESS NOW, and noted that their reports are vague, and lack transparency, verifiability, and independent peer review.
She added that these organizations were unable to conduct an independent evaluation of the so-called Pegasus-infected devices and, in many cases, failed to identify the devices.
On independent investigations by media outlets, she said that many journalists have a natural bias against specific governments and people.
In this regard, she explained that Morocco is a common target of such tendencies due to its phosphate industry, pro-Western policies, and close defense cooperation with the USA. Furthermore, the geographical position and sea borders of Morocco make it a target for parties seeking to destabilize the country.
Tsukerman went on to say that the monarchy has many foes, including oil-rich Algeria, which is ruled by an internationally influential authoritarian junta.
She added that these anti-Morocco campaigns are mere attempts to isolate Morocco from its expanding political clout on the back of cooperation with the United States and as a result of the Abraham Accords.