The Catalan court is becoming an arena for the battle for rights and privacy.
In Barcelona, a lawyer filed a lawsuit against the founders and one of the executives of NSO Group, accusing them of espionage attacks. This is the first precedent when charges have been brought not only against the company, but also against specific individuals behind its activities.
The human rights organization Iridia, based in Barcelona, reported that it had filed an accusation with a Catalan court against the founders of NSO, Omri Lavi and Shalev Julio, as well as Yuval Someh, the head of two affiliated structures. The lawsuit alleges that they are involved in cyber espionage.
The lawsuit was filed in the interests of Andreu Van den Einde, a lawyer and professor specializing in cybersecurity. According to Citizen Lab, in 2022 he became one of the victims of a surveillance campaign against Catalans supporting the independence of the region. For this, NSO's Pegasus spyware was used. Amnesty International has confirmed the findings of the Citizen Lab.
Previously, the lawsuit was filed only against NSO and its subsidiaries Osy Technologies and Q Cyber Technologies. Now the plaintiffs are demanding that Lavi, Julio and Somekha also be brought to justice. In a statement, Iridia stressed that by spying on Van den Einde, the attackers also gained access to his contacts and legal materials.
The lawsuit alleges that three NSO executives were allegedly involved in the sale and use of illegal surveillance software without judicial control. NSO declined to comment on this information, and Shalev Julio and Omri Lavi did not respond to requests for comment.
Lawyer Van den Einde expressed disappointment that he was a victim of espionage, noting that he would prefer to focus on his professional projects.
Meanwhile, other victims of surveillance are demanding that the Spanish government reveal details of the spy campaign. In 2020, it became known that Spanish intelligence could use Pegasus to spy on Catalan politicians. The Spanish authorities insist that their actions were in full compliance with the law and had the approval of the Supreme Court.
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In Barcelona, a lawyer filed a lawsuit against the founders and one of the executives of NSO Group, accusing them of espionage attacks. This is the first precedent when charges have been brought not only against the company, but also against specific individuals behind its activities.
The human rights organization Iridia, based in Barcelona, reported that it had filed an accusation with a Catalan court against the founders of NSO, Omri Lavi and Shalev Julio, as well as Yuval Someh, the head of two affiliated structures. The lawsuit alleges that they are involved in cyber espionage.
The lawsuit was filed in the interests of Andreu Van den Einde, a lawyer and professor specializing in cybersecurity. According to Citizen Lab, in 2022 he became one of the victims of a surveillance campaign against Catalans supporting the independence of the region. For this, NSO's Pegasus spyware was used. Amnesty International has confirmed the findings of the Citizen Lab.
Previously, the lawsuit was filed only against NSO and its subsidiaries Osy Technologies and Q Cyber Technologies. Now the plaintiffs are demanding that Lavi, Julio and Somekha also be brought to justice. In a statement, Iridia stressed that by spying on Van den Einde, the attackers also gained access to his contacts and legal materials.
The lawsuit alleges that three NSO executives were allegedly involved in the sale and use of illegal surveillance software without judicial control. NSO declined to comment on this information, and Shalev Julio and Omri Lavi did not respond to requests for comment.
Lawyer Van den Einde expressed disappointment that he was a victim of espionage, noting that he would prefer to focus on his professional projects.
Meanwhile, other victims of surveillance are demanding that the Spanish government reveal details of the spy campaign. In 2020, it became known that Spanish intelligence could use Pegasus to spy on Catalan politicians. The Spanish authorities insist that their actions were in full compliance with the law and had the approval of the Supreme Court.
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