Categorically Stand by Findings of Pegasus Project: Amnesty International

New Delhi:  Amnesty International on Thursday said it "categorically stands" by the findings of the Pegasus Project and asserted that the data is irrefutably linked to potential targets of NSO Group's Pegasus spyware.

The comments by Amnesty International came after some media reports quoting a few Israeli journalists said that the human rights group has claimed that it never said that the recently leaked phone numbers was specifically a list of numbers targeted by Pegasus spyware. 

Amnesty said the "false rumours" being pushed on social media are intended to distract from the widespread unlawful targeting of journalists, activists and others that the Pegasus Project has revealed.

"Amnesty International categorically stands by the findings of the Pegasus Project, and that the data is irrefutably linked to potential targets of NSO Group's Pegasus spyware. The false rumours being pushed on social media are intended to distract from the widespread unlawful targeting of journalists, activists and others that the Pegasus Project has revealed," Amnesty International said in a statement.

Pegasus snooping story "fake”: BJP

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday claimed that the story on the alleged snooping through Israeli spyware Pegasus is "concocted, fabricated and evidence-less" and that the news reports based on it call for "defamation".

Union minister and BJP leader Meenakshi Lekhi cited to claim that Amnesty International, the human rights group associated with Pegasus Project, has denied the existence of a list of potential targets of the alleged snooping.

Addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters here, she alleged that the "fake" list is like a collection of mobile numbers drawn from yellow pages and those have been used for "yellow journalism".

Asked about the Opposition's query if the government has used the spyware, Lekhi said any such security information is classified as the government has to deal with terrorists and Maoists.

Opposition parties have stalled proceedings in Parliament, alleging the Modi government's involvement in the alleged snooping, following reports that nearly 300 mobile phone numbers including of journalists, activists, opposition leaders and even two ministers from India figured in this list of potential snooping targets by NSO which sells its Pegasus spyware only to "vetted" governments and government agencies.