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The phones of Oyan, Qazaqstan activists Tamina Ospanova, Dimash Alzhanov, Darkhan Sharipov and Aizat Abilseit were infected with NSO Group Pegasus spyware , according to the international human rights organization Amnesty International. The organization carried out a forensic examination of the smartphones of nine Kazakhstani human rights defenders, four of which were hacked during the period from 3 to 5 June this year. The surveillance continued until at least July .
“The illegal hacking of these activists violates not only their right to privacy, but also their right to freedom of expression and association. The Kazakh authorities must immediately conduct a thorough and transparent investigation into this incursion and bring those responsible for the illegal surveillance of activists to justice,” said Marie Straters, Amnesty International’s director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
She also said that states around the world should immediately impose a moratorium on the export, sale and use of surveillance equipment until a human rights-compliant regulatory framework is in place.