SERBIA’S secret service and police have been spying on journalists and opposition activists by installing spyware on their mobile phones, Amnesty International revealed today.

The watchdog’s report, backed by testimonies of those who claim their phones have been hacked in recent months, said spy software was used to unlock phones, capture covert screenshots and copy contact lists, which were then uploaded to a government-controlled server.

It said the Serbian police and the Security Information Agency (BIA) used the spyware to infect devices while their owners were detained or interviewed by police.