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Spyware attacks on rights defenders show continuing attempt to fix case

Spyware attacks on rights defenders show continuing attempt to fix case

Scroll.in / by Sruthisagar Yamunan

On Monday, an Amnesty International report, put together with digital activist group Citizens Lab, pointed to targeted spyware attacks last year against nine human rights defenders who were helping the people arrested in the Bhima Koregaon case in Maharashtra.
The report is the latest chapter in a case in which it seems an array of forces are at work to plant evidence against 11 human rights activists and lawyers arrested in connection with violence that erupted between Marathas and Dalits in the village of Bhima Koregaon outside Pune on January 1, 2018.
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Human Rights Defenders Targeted by a Coordinated Spyware Operation

Human Rights Defenders Targeted by a Coordinated Spyware Operation

Amnesty International / By Amnesty Internatioanl & Citizen Lab

Amnesty International and the Citizen Lab have uncovered a coordinated spyware campaign targeting at least nine human rights defenders (HRDs) in India. Eight of the nine HRDs have been calling for the release of other prominent activists, popularly known as the Bhima Koregaon 11, most of whom have been imprisoned in Maharashtra, India since 2018.
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Also Read: Human Rights Defenders Targeted by a Coordinated Spyware Operation

Govts Deployed Pegasus Spyware on People: NSO Group Tells US Court

Govts Deployed Pegasus Spyware on People: NSO Group Tells US Court

The Quint / by Sushovan Sircar

Israeli cyberweapons company, NSO Group, whose Pegasus spyware was used to hack into the phones of at least 121 Indian citizens in 2019, has told a California court that the attacks were carried out by its government clients.
Pegasus, a spyware built by the NSO Group, was found to have infiltrated the phones of 1,400 individuals globally, including human rights activists, lawyers and activists in India. 
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WhatsApp Alleges NSO Group Involved in Spying on Indians

WhatsApp Alleges NSO Group Involved in Spying on Indians

The Quint / by The Quint

WhatsApp has alleged in new court filings in a California court that Israeli surveillance company The NSO Group had controlled United States servers to deploy its spyware, Pegasus, in mobile phones of 1,400 individuals across the world, including over 121 Indians, The Guardian reported. …
Several Dalit rights lawyers and activists, including Anand Teltumbde, Bhima-Koregaon case lawyer Nihal Singh Rathod, Bela Bhatia, Jagdalpur Legal Aid group member Shalini Gera were among those targeted.
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Rona Wilson’s hard disk contained malware that allowed remote access

Rona Wilson’s hard disk contained malware that allowed remote access

The Caravan / by Martand Kaushik and Anjeneya Sivan

On 17 April 2018, the Pune Police raided the Delhi home of Rona Wilson, a noted prison-rights activist, and arrested him for his alleged role in the violence at the Bhima Koregaon memorial in January that year. A few months later, the police claimed that it had found a letter on the hard disk of Wilson’s computer that contained details of a “naxal” plot to assassinate Prime Minister Narendra Modi and “overthrow the government.”
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Pawar Vs Uddhav, NIA Vs Maharashtra Police: What’s Going On In The Bhima Koregaon Case?

Pawar Vs Uddhav, NIA Vs Maharashtra Police: What’s Going On In The Bhima Koregaon Case?

Huffpost / by Pavan Dahat

The Maharashtra government’s flip-flop over giving the Bhima Koregaon case to the National Investigation Agency suggests Union Home Minister Amit Shah has a lot of hide in this case.
Pune: The Maharashtra government refused to hand over the Bhima Koregaon case to the National Investigation Agency, until it did. The state home ministry under the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)’s Anil Deshmukh was opposed to the NIA, but the Shiv Sena Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray wasn’t.
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Will Investigation into Phone Tapping in Maharashtra Open Pandora’s Box?

Will Investigation into Phone Tapping in Maharashtra Open Pandora’s Box?

Newsclick / by Amey Tirodkar

Maharashtra government has constituted a two-member committee on Monday to probe into the complaints of phone tapping made by a number of political leaders including Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Chief Sharad Pawar and Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut. They have alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) used police machinery to keep a watch on political opponents especially during the formation of the new three-party government in state.
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Deputy CM raises doubts in case against 10 activists, seeks proof in 15 days

Deputy CM raises doubts in case against 10 activists, seeks proof in 15 days


Pic: Spolidarity program in Delhi (2019)

Scroll.in / by Scroll Staff

Ajit Pawar and Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh held a review meeting with the Pune Police on Thursday.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar told the Pune Police that a letter recovered from Delhi-based activist Rona Wilson last year, allegedly showing a plot to assassinate Prime Minister Narendra Modi appeared to be a spoof obtained from suspicious sources, The Hindu reported on Friday.
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Israeli Court Bans Media From Pegasus Spyware Case Trials

Israeli Court Bans Media From Pegasus Spyware Case Trials

News Click / by Peoples Dispatch

Israeli company NSO exports the Pegasus spyware, which has been used by governments across the world against opposition activists and journalists, including in India.
In an apparent move to save the NSO group – owner of the Pegasus spyware – from public criticism, an Israeli court cited national security concerns and ordered a closed-door hearing in the case against the company.
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