Huawei denies helping governments of Uganda and Zambia spy on political opponents
- The two African nations also dismissed a Wall Street Journal report saying Huawei employees helped officials conduct espionage against opposition figures
- Lawyer says the article ‘is neither a fair nor a responsible representation of Huawei’s legitimate business activities’
Huawei Technologies sent a letter to The Wall Street Journal on Friday, denying the publication’s bombshell report describing how China’s tech giant allegedly helped the governments of two African nations spy on their political opponents.
Uganda and Zambia, the two governments mentioned in the article, also denied that Huawei employees had helped them conduct espionage.
The Journal’s article on Wednesday said that Huawei employees in the two African countries were involved with government cybersecurity forces in helping intercept communications and tracking opponents’ social media activity and physical movements.
In the letter, Huawei lawyer Steven Friedman said “the article is neither a fair nor a responsible representation of Huawei’s legitimate business activities in these countries.”
“The publication of these false statements has and will continue to damage Huawei’s reputation and business interests across the globe,” he wrote.
The publication of these false statements has and will continue to damage Huawei’s reputation and business interests across the globe
The Journal also reported that Huawei technicians helped Zambian authorities spy on opposition bloggers running a news site critical of President Edgar Lungu.