Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Al-Nakhalah: We are the rightful owners, and we must fight to retrieve our rights
Al-Nakhalah: The enemy and its allies must know that we can never surrender to their terms and diktats after all the sacrifices made
Al-Nakhalah: The prisoner exchange clause can be completed in the next few days, and thus we will have pulled the [explosion] fuse and removed the enemy's justifications for aggression
Al-Nakhalah: The Resistance has expressed its willingness to negotiate on the basis that there are items that can be dealt with positively, the first of which is the prisoner exchange item
Al-Nakhalah: Trump's plan entails the Palestinian people's declaration of complete surrender to the enemy
PIJ Secretary-General, Ziyad al-Nakhalah: The Resistance is engaging in a fierce negotiating battle under the so-called Trump plan
Russian Federation Council approves joint military cooperation agreement with Cuba
Al-Nunu: Today, the lists of prisoners required to be released, the agreed-upon criteria and numbers, were exchanged
Al-Nunu from Sharm el-Sheikh: Negotiations focused on mechanisms for implementing an end to the war, the withdrawal of occupation forces from the Gaza Strip, and the exchange of prisoners
Al-Nunu from Sharm el-Sheikh: Mediators are making great efforts to remove any obstacles in the way of implementing the ceasefire, and a sense of optimism now prevails among all parties

Pegasus spyware usage crisis for democracy: Poland opposition leader

  • By Al Mayadeen Net
  • Source: Agencies
  • 28 Dec 2021 22:44
3 Min Read

Polish opposition leader Donald Tusk calls for a parliamentary investigation into allegations that his country's government used Pegasus software to eavesdrop on its opponents.

  • x
  • Polish opposition leader Donald Tusk
    Polish opposition leader Donald Tusk

On Tuesday, Poland's opposition leader, Donald Tusk, said reports that the government spied on its opponents were the country's largest "crisis for democracy."

Last week, a cyber-security watchdog revealed that the Pegasus spyware had been used to target important opposition figures, dubbed "Polish Watergate" by Polish media.

Former EU President Tusk, who now leads the Civic Platform party, told reporters, "This is unprecedented in our history," adding that "This is the biggest, deepest crisis for democracy since 1989."

Tusk also demanded a parliamentary investigation into charges that Pegasus was used against Krzysztof Brejza, a member of his party who was in charge of the party's election campaign in 2019.

Pegasus was also used against Roman Giertych, a lawyer involved in litigation against the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party, and Ewa Wrzosek, a prosecutor and opposition figure, according to Citizen Lab, a Canadian cyber-security group.

Pegasus turns smartphones into pocket espionage devices, allowing users to read the target's messages, browse their images, monitor their location, and even turn on their camera without the target's knowledge.

Related News

Russia links Kiev to fake drone attacks aimed at sparking war with EU

Poland seeks to overstep NATO to allow downing jets over Ukraine

The software, developed by Israeli business NSO Group, sparked outrage earlier this year after a joint investigation by several news sites revealed that governments had used Pegasus to spy on activists, journalists, attorneys, and politicians.

Polish PM: no knowledge of Pegasus use

Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said he had "no knowledge" of any wiretapping, but that if it was proven, it might "potentially" be the work of foreign intelligence agencies.

The assertions that Polish services "use these methods in operational work for political ends" are false, according to Stanislaw Zaryn, a spokesman for the ministry in charge of secret services.

He neither confirmed nor denied that Poland had utilized Pegasus, but he did say that "operational work" in Poland may only be done on the prosecutor general's request and with a court order.

Poland: NSO's Pegasus spyware hacks two opposition figures

Israeli NSO group Pegasus spyware was used in Poland on at least 2 confirmed occasions. The first incident was the hacking into the phone of a high-profile lawyer, Roman Giertych, who represents top Polish opposition figures took place in the final weeks of the 2019 parliamentary elections in Poland.

The second took place in 2021 when a prosecutor, Krzysztof Brejza, defying populist right-wing attempted to remove the judiciary had her smartphone hacked.

In both instances, Pegasus, the NSO military-grade spyware capable of remote zero-click surveillance of smartphones, was the perpetrator, according to investigators of the University of Toronto-based Citizen Lab internet watchdog.

  • NSO's Pegasus
    NSO's Pegasus
  • Poland
  • spyware
  • NSO Group
  • tusk
  • Pegasus

Most Read

Tucker Carlson speaks at a memorial for Charlie Kirk, Sunday, September 21, 2025, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona (AP)

Tucker Carlson: Israeli officers gave orders on Iran inside Pentagon

  • Politics
  • 2 Oct 2025
A Hamas fighter in combat fatigues stands before the ceremony for the handover of Israeli captives to the Red Cross in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip, Saturday, February 22, 2025 (AP)

Hamas responds to Trump plan, backs Gaza withdrawal, exchange

  • Politics
  • 3 Oct 2025
ap

'Israel' pays influencers $7K per post to whitewash Gaza genocide

  • Politics
  • 1 Oct 2025
Mossad’s secret role in Aldo Moro’s 1978 murder revealed

Mossad’s secret role in Aldo Moro’s 1978 murder exposed

  • Politics
  • 5 Oct 2025

Coverage

All
War on Gaza

Read Next

All
In this May 20, 20201, photo Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie, the head of US Central Command, arrives in Baghdad, Iraq (AP)
Politics

US spent $33 billion on post-Oct.7 genocide, wars, Brown Uni reports

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., holds a news conference to mark the seventh day of the government shutdown, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025. (AP)
Politics

US troops face unpaid wages as government shutdown drags on

Mourners wave Hezbollah and a Palestinian flag during the funeral of Hezbollah former leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and his successor Sayyed Hashem Safieddine in the Sports City Stadium in Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, February 23, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Hezbollah voices support for Gaza, Resistance on October 7 anniversary

Al-Aqsa Flood restored Palestinian cause on the global stage: Hamas
Politics

Al-Aqsa Flood restored Palestinian cause on the global stage: Hamas

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS