Amnesty International stands by findings of Pegasus Project, slams fake claim

NEW DELHI: In less than an hour of Minister of State for External Affairs Meenakshi Lekhi holding a Press conference at the BJP headquarters and tweeting that "Pegasus is a fake story as Amnesty has denied the list circulating in the (Indian) media," the Amnesty International denied her claim, saying, "We categorically stand by Pegasus Project data set" used by the media in India.

The Congress was also quick to tweet: "Someone should advise the Minister not to use websites notorious for spreading fake news as a source. Amnesty International has not wavered from its stand on the #PegasusProject."

In a one paragraph statement on false allegations on social media and inaccurate media stories, Amnesty International said: "We categorically stand by the findings of the Pegasus Project, and that the data is irrefutably linked to potential targets of NSO Group's Pegasus spyware. The false rumours being pushed on social media are intended to distract from the widespread unlawful targeting of journalists, activists and others that the Pegasus Project has revealed."