BANGKOK (AP) — A Thai court on Thursday threw out a lawsuit brought by a pro-democracy activist which alleged spyware produced by an Israeli tech firm had been used to hack his phone.
The Civil Court in Bangkok said Jatupat Boonpattararaksa had failed to show sufficient proof that his phone was infected with Pegasus spyware produced by NSO Group Technologies.
Jataput, also known as Pai Dao Din, had alleged that the NSO Group had violated his and other activists' constitutional rights by facilitating the use of Pegasus to allegedly target them and extract data from their devices.
He had claimed his phone was infected on three occasions in 2021, at a time of large-scale protests against the government that included unprecedented demands for reform of Thailand’s powerful but opaque monarchy.
NSO Group did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.
An investigation last year by Thai civil society group iLaw, Thai internet freedom organization DigitalReach and Canadian internet watchdog group Citizen Lab found that 35 individuals in Thailand were targeted by government surveillance using Pegasus, in 2020 and 2021. The victims were predominantly activists and scholars.
Other activists alleged that Thai government agencies were behind the use of Pegasus, but officials have not commented directly on it. When pressed by the opposition in Parliament in 2022, the government acknowledged that state agencies had used Pegasus for activities related to “security or narcotics.”
Speaking outside the court, Jatupat, who had been a leader of street protests in 2021, said he had brought the suit to fight for people's rights and freedoms.
“We fought for this because we wanted to prove whom the law will protect,” he said. “It is obvious today that the court chose to protect state security.”
Sutawan Chanprasert, from DigitalReach, called the ruling "disappointing."
“I think there’s a lesson learned,” she said. "I think the reason the court gave will help us to prepare better for the future cases.”
Amnesty International, which had filed a brief in support of Jataput's suit and has investigated the use of Pegasus spyware around the world, called the ruling “deeply alarming”
“However it won’t deter the fight against the unlawful use of spyware and the fight for justice for the victims of spyware in Thailand and around the world," the rights group said in a statement.
NSO Group has previously said it only develops the spyware and does not control its use. Its products, including the Pegasus software, are typically licensed to government intelligence and law enforcement agencies to investigate terrorism and serious crime, according to the company’s website.
Jatupat Boonpattararaksa talks to reporters before leaving the Civil Court in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
Jatupat Boonpattararaksa talks to reporters before leaving the Civil Court in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — The death toll in the Gaza Strip from the 13-month-old war between Israel and Hamas has surpassed 44,000, local health officials said Thursday.
The Gaza Health Ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count, but it has said that more than half of the fatalities are women and children. The Israeli military says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence.
The Health Ministry said 44,056 people have been killed and 104,268 wounded since the start of the war. It has said the real toll is higher because thousands of bodies are buried under rubble or in areas that medics cannot access.
The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting another 250. Around 100 hostages are still inside Gaza, at least a third of whom are believed to be dead. Most of the rest were released during a cease-fire last year.
The Israeli offensive has caused heavy destruction across wide areas of the coastal territory, leading many to wonder when or how it will ever be rebuilt. Around 90% of the population of 2.3 million people have been displaced, often multiple times, and hundreds of thousands are living in squalid tent camps with little food, water or basic services.
Israel says it tries to avoid harming civilians and blames their deaths on Hamas because the militants operate in residential areas, where they have built tunnels, rocket launchers and other military infrastructure.
Palestinian officials and rights groups accuse Israeli forces of war crimes and crimes against humanity, and the United Nations’ top court is considering allegations of genocide brought by South Africa. The Israeli government adamantly denies the allegations, accusing critics of being biased against it.
In recent weeks, the amount of humanitarian aid entering Gaza has plummeted, prompting the United States to threaten to reduce its military support for Israel before backing down, citing limited progress. Experts have warned that isolated, war-ravaged northern Gaza could already be experiencing famine.
The United States, Egypt and Qatar spent months trying to broker a cease-fire agreement in which Hamas would release the remaining hostages in exchange for an end to the war. Those talks ground to a halt over the summer, with Israel and Hamas each accusing the other of making unacceptable demands.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to end the wars in the Middle East without saying how. His previous administration gave unprecedented support to Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s hard-line policies toward the Palestinians.
Khaled reported from Cairo.
Find more of AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war
Palestinians queue for food in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, Monday, Nov. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
A Palestinian woman queues for food in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, Monday, Nov. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Palestinians queue for food in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, Monday, Nov. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
A Palestinian little girl queues for food in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, Monday, Nov. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Palestinians queue for food in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, Monday, Nov. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
