Morocco’s public prosecutor released human rights activist Fouad Abdelmoumni on Friday, two days after his arrest in Casablanca for allegedly disseminating misinformation. His trial will proceed outside of court, according to his lawayer Mohamed Nouini.
Abdelmoumni, 66, was taken into custody on Wednesday for “reporting on knowingly fictitious crimes,” alleging that Morocco spied on France in 2021 using Israeli-made Pegasus spyware, Morocco’s News Agency (MAP) reported.
Abdelmoumni is a member of the Alliance of the Left Federation party and a former head of the anti-corruption NGO Transparency Morocco.
Reports emerged in 2021 accusing Morocco of using Pegasus spyware to surveil prominent figures, including France’s President Emmanuel Macron.
Investigative outlet Forbidden Stories and rights group Amnesty International brought these allegations forward, which Morocco dismissed as “baseless and false.”
Developed by Israeli firm NSO Group, the spyware can access mobile phones, allowing it to retrieve data and activate cameras remotely.
Abdelmoumni boldly proclaimed on a Facebook post shared on Tuesday that “France, which sees its position decline among all nations, would not want to give in to the blackmail of a weak state that uses all the means of pressure at its disposal… including espionage.”
On Friday, MAP reported that the prosecution’s office stated Abdelmoumni is under investigation for “insulting constituted bodies,” “reporting a knowingly fictitious crime,” and “disseminating false claims.”
His lawyer asserted, stating that “this is a case of freedom of expression,” and called his client’s release a “just decision.”
The trial is expected to start on December 2.