Morocco has filed defamation claims against Amnesty International and French NGO Forbidden Stories over spreading fake news.
"The Moroccan state... wants all possible light cast on these false allegations from these two organizations, who make claims without any concrete or demonstrative evidence whatsoever," the lawyer, Olivier Baratelli, said in a statement.
A first hearing is set for October 8 in Paris, though a trial might not open for another two years.
The Moroccan government "does not intend to let the multiple lies and fake news spread these past few days go unpunished", Baratelli said.
The government has denied reports that the country's security forces may have used spyware to eavesdrop on the cellphones of public figures in the country and abroad.
On Wednesday, the public prosecutor’s office ordered an investigation into the false allegations.
“The Kingdom of Morocco strongly condemns the persistent false, massive and malicious media campaign,” the statement said. The government said it “rejects these false and unfounded allegations, and challenges their peddlers ... to provide any tangible and material evidence in support of their surreal stories.”
