Clergy monitored by spyware
Publish date: 10 August 2020
Issue Number: 885
Diary: IBA Legalbrief Africa
Category: Togo
A prominent Catholic bishop and a priest have allegedly been targeted by spyware on their mobile phones in Togo – the first known cases that involve members of the clergy. An investigation by Le Monde and The Guardian revealed that Bishop Benoît Alowonou and five other critics of the Togolese Government had been spied on via their mobile phones. BBC News reports that is not known who carried out the cyber-attack, but some of the victims are blaming their own government. WhatsApp last year said 1 400 people around the world – including human rights activists – were being monitored by the Israeli spyware.
