Pegasus: Khashoggi’s widow files legal complaint in France
Hanan Elatr Khashoggi, the widow of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, has filed a complaint in France alleging that her mobile phones were targeted with the Pegasus spyware prior to her husband’s death. Her legal representatives announced the move on Monday, arguing that the surveillance contributed to an atmosphere of intimidation surrounding the couple.
According to her lawyers, William Bourdon and Vincent Brengarth, the journalist and those close to him were subjected to a climate of pressure and monitoring in the months leading up to his killing in 2018. They claim that Elatr’s devices were infected with the Pegasus software, developed by the Israeli company NSO Group, a firm repeatedly accused of enabling intrusive surveillance of activists, reporters and government critics.
The alleged spying reportedly occurred in part while Elatr was in France for work-related travel. She later obtained technical analyses carried out by the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab, which she says confirmed that her two phones had been compromised in early 2018.
Her lawyers argue that such monitoring cannot be dissociated from the chain of events that ultimately led to her husband’s death. Elatr, now living in the United States under political asylum, has therefore filed a complaint with the Paris public prosecutor for unlawful access to data systems, violation of privacy rights and the handling of illegally obtained information.
Seven years after the journalist’s killing, Elatr’s legal team claims that both Saudi officials and the leadership of NSO Group have yet to be held accountable. They are urging French authorities to open a full investigation into the case.
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