Until now, no journalist had the opportunity to ask the Hungarian Prime Minister about the scandal that broke six months ago, while the host of the state media's weekly interview with the PM chose not to.Continue reading
The liberal Renew Europe group is calling for the European Parliament to set up a committee of inquiry into the misuse of Pegasus spyware. Anna Donáth of Momentum is among the co-initiators.
The group is pushing for this after it emerged that the Polish government had also used the software to monitor opposition politicians and activists. Earlier, news emerged that several government-critical figures in Hungary could also be targets of the Israeli spyware.
Dutch MEP Sophie in ‘t Veld, one of the initiators of the panel, says that a full investigation into the Pegasus spyware scandal is needed, after clear indications that some governments have used this tool against the democratic opposition.
Róża Thun, MEP for Polska 2050 in Poland, and Anna Donáth from Momentum, co-sponsors of the parliamentary inquiry, say the EU must investigate what happened and protect the victims.
The Renew Europe Group is calling for a special committee to be set up to thoroughly investigate the surveillance scandal. We need to uncover the extent to which the spy software was used and find those responsible for the illegal use of Pegasus in the EU,”
they stressed, adding that governments using spy software against their domestic opponents were a threat to democracy.
The European Parliament is due to re-elect its officials next week, so this could be the best time for MEPs to decide on the creation of new special committees. The Liberal initiative can only be implemented if it is supported by a majority of political groups.
Source: Népszava
Featured image: illustration via Pixabay
