Statement in response to Novalpina Capital’s letter of 15 May 2019

To: Stephen Peel
Cc: Stefan Kowski, Bastian Lueken, Shalev Hulio, Vivek Krishnamurthy, Foley Hoag LLP

We acknowledge receipt of Novalpina Capital’s letter of 15 May 2019. A number of significant issues remain insufficiently addressed by Novalpina Capital’s letters and overall approach to engagement with civil society.

As illustrated in the May 15 letter in particular, there appears to be a fundamental conflict between Novalpina Capital’s assertions of broad national secrecy requirements and constraints on disclosure under Israeli law, and its purported commitment to greater transparency and human rights impact assessments regarding NSO Group. It is unclear whether Novalpina Capital will be able to release information that is essential to determining whether it is preventing, mitigating, and remedying adverse human rights impacts, as envisioned by the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

The undersigned organizations, individually or collectively, will continue to closely monitor and advocate regarding the activities and human rights impacts of Novalpina Capital and NSO Group.

Signed,

Amnesty International
Access Now
Committee to Protect Journalists
Digital Rights Foundation
Human Rights Watch
Privacy International
R3D: Red en Defensa de los Derechos Digitales
Reporters Without Borders
Robert L. Bernstein Institute for Human Rights, NYU School of Law and Global Justice Clinic, NYU School of Law*

*Communications from NYU clinics and institutes do not purport to reflect the school's institutional views, if any.