The High Court in London has ruled that a blogger who was tortured for his political views can pursue legal action against the Kingdom of Bahrain for hacking his mobile phone with Pegasus spyware after he sought asylum in the UK.
Yusuf Al-Jamri has been granted permission to file a claim for damages against Bahrain, known for its human rights abuses against political dissidents, for allegedly hacking his iPhone 8 with Pegasus spyware in August 2019.
This case marks the first legal action from the UK against Bahrain for using Pegasus software, provided by NSO Group, an Israeli company. The UK High Court’s decision acknowledges a possible case against Bahrain.
According to research by the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab, the spyware allowed Bahraini authorities to access Al-Jamri’s personal data, including messages, calls, location information, photos, and sensitive records.
The spyware also enabled Bahrain to intercept calls, use the phone’s microphone for eavesdropping, capture photos, and monitor Al-Jamri’s movements.
Al-Jamri is seeking damages for privacy violation, personal injury, harassment, and unauthorized access to his property. This case raises concerns about Western companies and NSO Group selling spyware to countries with poor human rights records.
Amnesty International reports that Bahrain’s National Security Agency has used torture, threats, and assault to silence human rights activists critical of the regime.
Bahrain’s government employs internet censorship tools from Canadian company Netsweeper and disrupts online activities to suppress political dissent, as revealed by The Citizen Lab’s research.
The regime blocks websites, social media accounts, and online publications of political opponents and human rights groups. A 2018 investigation by Haaretz found that Verint Systems provided Bahrain with technology for monitoring social media.
Since at least 2010, Bahrain has used spyware to surveil political dissidents, initially purchasing licenses for FinSpy and other spyware from the Gamma Group.
Yusuf Al-Jamri outside the High Court
In 2013, Bahrain acquired spyware from Italian company Hacking Team.
Since 2017, Bahrain has utilized Pegasus spyware. The Citizen Lab researchers identified a network of servers used to deploy Pegasus with domain names associated with Bahraini political entities.
Targets of the spyware include exiled political activists in London, a Bahraini lawyer and human rights advocate, a psychologist seeking asylum in the UK, and seven unnamed Bahraini activists and journalists.
Automated hacking tool
NSO Group describes Pegasus as a top-tier cyber intelligence solution that enables law enforcement and intelligence agencies to extract intelligence remotely and covertly from any device.
Users simply need to input a target phone number to initiate a hack, with the system automatically installing an agent on the target device in most cases.
Pegasus clients can set rules to receive alerts for specific actions, such as target location changes, interactions between targets, specific phone calls or messages, and usage of keywords.
The spyware can be uninstalled remotely without leaving traces on the target device and includes a self-destruct feature for uninstallation to avoid detection.
Bahrain claims sovereign immunity
In a similar case involving two pro-democracy activists whose computers were hacked after seeking refuge in the UK, Bahrain is asserting sovereign immunity.
Journalist Saeed Shehabi and activist Moos Mohammed had their computers infected with FinSpy spyware in 2011, enabling Bahraini authorities to gather extensive information from their devices.
The activists discovered the hacking in 2014 when WikiLeaks released documents on Bahrain’s use of FinSpy, confirming them as victims. Bahrain denies the allegations but lost a sovereign immunity argument in the Court of Appeal in October 2024.
This legal battle against a powerful and oppressive state sends a resounding message: no matter how wealthy or abusive, no regime is beyond accountability. It affirms that there is a legal path to exposing the truth and standing up to tyranny
Yusuf Al-Jamri, UK blogger and spyware victim
Following the court’s decision to allow his claim for damages, Al-Jamri sees the case as a pivotal moment for seeking justice.
Al-Jamri’s solicitor, Monika Sobiecki of Bindmans, notes that this is the first case in the UK against Bahrain for its use of Pegasus spyware.
