Lawyers for one of 14 people targeted by Pegasus spyware file criminal complaint against Serbian intelligence agency officials, police and the Israeli company behind the surveillance technology after institutions fail to react.
Lawyers representing student activist Jelena Kontic filed a criminal complaint on Tuesday with the Prosecutor’s Office for High-Tech Crime over the installation of Pegasus spyware on her phone, allegedly by Serbian security forces.
“The complaint was filed against individuals within the Security Information Agency [the state intelligence service] and the police whose identities have yet to be established, as well as responsible individuals at NSO Group, the Israeli company that manufactures Pegasus,” a Serbian digital rights NGO, SHARE Foundation, said in a press release.
Kontic is one of 14 members
Kontic is one of 14 members of the student movement, opposition politicians and activists who weretargetedwith advanced spyware. SHARE Foundation and The Citizen Lab, a research unit of the University of Toronto, revealed the alleged attacks on September 2.
SHARE Foundation added that Kontic’s case is the first confirmed successful Pegasus spyware infection in Serbia.
Given the precedence, Kontic told BIRN that “she expects the forensic examination of her phone and the processing of the case to present a challenge for the prosecution”.
Kontic only learned that she had been targeted
Kontic only learned that she had been targeted when she received a notification from Apple. Forensic analysis confirmed that her device had been compromised remotely through a so-called “zero-click” attack.
“The attack exploited a vulnerability in the iMessage app on her iPhone, without her knowledge or any interaction on her part,” SHARE Foundation added.
The complaint covers five criminal offences: unauthorised collection of personal data, unauthorised interception and recording, creation and introduction of computer viruses, unauthorised access to a protected computer, and abuse of office.
Kontic’s lawyers, as quoted by SHARE Foundation, argued
Kontic’s lawyers, as quoted by SHARE Foundation, argued that the prosecutor’s office was required to act as soon as the case became public, and that the offences are punishable by imprisonment.
BIRN asked the High-Tech Crime Prosecution in September whether it had opened an investigation into the alleged attacks, but it did not respond.
But one day after the student movement published the information about the 14 people targeted with spyware, on September 3, the Security Information Agency dismissed the claims as “tri
Serbia’s Commissioner for Information of Public Importance
Serbia’s Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Personal Data Protection told BIRN on September 17 that it had not opened a case, as it lacked vital information.
“The Commissioner has not initiated a new proceeding, as at this time he does not have specific information and evidence concerning the circumstances of individual cases that would make it possible to establish grounds for action within his jurisdiction,” it said.
Kontic is part of the students’ movement that has become the main opponent of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party.
The movement was created after the fatal collapse of part of Novi Sad railway station in November 2024 triggered mass protests. The movement later formed the Student List, which is running in the parliamentary elections scheduled for October 25.
Source: balkaninsight.com
