French court indicted Nexa Technologies for complicity in acts of torture

Nexa Technologies was indicted for complicity in acts of torture, the French firm is accused of having sold surveillance equipment to the Egypt.

Nexa Technologies offers a range of solutions for homeland security, including surveillance solutions. Now the French company was accused of having sold surveillance software to the Egyptian regime.

The cybersurveillance equipment was used by the Egyptian government to track down opponents.

Today the Agence France-Presse (AFP), revealed that Nexa Technologies was indicted on October 12 for “Complicity in acts of torture and enforced disappearances.”

“The indictment was pronounced on October 12 by the investigating judge in charge of the investigations, about four months after those of four executives and executives of the company, according to this source, confirmed by a judicial source. Contacted by AFP, the lawyer for Nexa Technologies, M ^e  François Zimeray, declined to comment.” reported the website LeMonde.

The investigation began in 2017 following a complaint by FIDH and LDH filed with the support of the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS).

The complaint refers to the revelation made by the magazine Télérama that reported the sale in March 2014 of “a listening system at 10 million euros to fight – officially – against the Muslim Brotherhood” , the Islamist opposition in Egypt.

This was based on a survey by the magazine Telerama revealing the sale in March 2014 of surveillance equipment, called Cerebro, that was used against the Muslim Brotherhood.

“A 10 million euro listening system to fight – officially – against the Muslim Brotherhood. In two months, the case was heard. The contract was signed in March 2014. Code name of the operation: “Toblerone”. A cryptic nod to the triangular shape of the pyramids …” reported Télérama. “In short, Cerebro can suck up any data that is not encrypted. A weapon of choice for authoritarian governments.”

The Cerebro surveillance software allows spying in real-time the electronic communications of a target. The software was allegedly used to repress opponents of Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi. The software allowed the government to identify and arrest more than 40,000 political opponents. in Egypt.

“In all, according to Human Rights Watch and other international organizations, between 40,000 and 60,000 political prisoners are languishing in jails in a country where civil society no longer has any rights.” continues Télérama.

The software also allow dragnet surveillance, according to the brochures presented at Milipol it is an updated copy of Eagle, the program ceded to Gaddafi in 2007. 

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Pierluigi Paganini

(SecurityAffairs – hacking, IKEA)

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