January 14, 2021, San Salvador- Phones of dozens of journalists and activists in El Salvador were hacked with the spyware Pegasus which according to researchers, evidence pointed to government involvement. Most of those targeted work at the El Faro news outlet which reported on alleged secret talks between the government and gangs. The Coalition For Women In Journalism stands in solidarity with journalists and activists affected by this and condemns illegal surveillance against press workers.

The investigation was carried out by the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab and digital rights group Access Now, which said that it had found evidence of incursions on 37 devices belonging to 35 individuals between July 2020 and November 2021.

El Faro was the main target, having 22 people hacked, including reporters and editors. BBC reported that the alleged hacks coincided with reports El Faro published about scandals involving President Nayib Bukele’s administration, including allegations that the government secretly negotiated with gang leaders in prison in order to reduce the levels of crime.

Researchers’ claims that evidence pointed to the state's involvement were denied by the government.

El Faro's editor-in-chief Oscar Martínez had his phone infiltrated at least 42 times, according to Citizen Lab.

"It is hard for me to think or conclude something other than the government of El Salvador" was behind the alleged hacks, Martínez was quoted by Reuters news agency as saying. "It's evident that there is a radical interest in understanding what El Faro is doing."

Pegasus is a spyware suite developed and distributed by the Israel-based company, NSO Group, which targets individual cell phones. Operators of the software can target any phone through a software-generated exploit link, after which Pegasus installs itself on the device without the knowledge of the owner. It allows operators to extract messages, photos and emails, record calls and secretly activate microphones and cameras.

NSO was blacklisted by the US government last year amid allegations that its spyware was being used by repressive governments to hack innocent people, including activists, politicians and journalists.

"I’ve seen a lot of Pegasus cases but what was especially disturbing, in this case, was its juxtaposition with the physical threats and violent language against the media in El Salvador," John Scott-Railton, senior researcher at Citizen Lab and an author of the report, told Associated Press. "This is the kind of thing that perhaps wouldn't surprise you in a dictatorship but at least on paper El Salvador is a democracy,” he added.

The Coalition For Women In Journalism is concerned for the digital safety of media members. We condemn the illegal surveillance against them. It endangers free press and freedom of speech, especially in countries where media independence is already a struggle.