CatalanGate Reveals Systematic Pegasus Targeting of 65 Catalan Independence Leaders

Between 2017-2020, the devices of at least 65 Catalan minority politicians and activists are targeted by a sophisticated espionage operation using NSO Group’s Pegasus spyware and Candiru’s surveillance tools, in what becomes known as “CatalanGate.” The victims include current Catalan president Pere Aragonès (who was deputy leader at the time), former regional leaders Quim Torra and Artur Mas, four Members of the European Parliament supporting independence, and numerous legislators, jurists, and civil society organization members.

Citizen Lab’s forensic investigation reveals that most targeting occurred in 2017, immediately following Catalonia’s independence referendum, with some cases dating back to 2015. Jordi Sànchez, a prominent independence leader, was extensively targeted from September 2015 until July 2020, with his phone successfully compromised on October 13, 2017 - just days before Spanish authorities arrested him on sedition charges. The timing and nature of targets strongly indicate Spanish government involvement, particularly given that Spain is a documented NSO Group client.

The CatalanGate revelations prompt UN human rights experts to demand investigation and lead to calls for EU-wide action against spyware abuse. The case demonstrates how commercial spyware enables democratic governments to conduct surveillance operations against political opposition that would be politically untenable if conducted by traditional intelligence agencies. The scandal exposes the use of Israeli-developed surveillance technology to suppress European political movements, raising fundamental questions about democratic governance and civil liberties in the age of commercial spyware.