Bahrain loses bid to block dissidents' spyware lawsuit in UK

LONDON - Bahrain cannot claim state immunity to block a lawsuit brought in Britain by two dissidents who say its government hacked their laptops with spyware, the United Kingdom's Supreme Court ruled on Monday.

Saeed Shehabi and Moosa Mohammed allege Bahrain infected their computers with surveillance software called FinSpy in around 2011, which allowed agents to monitor their work with political prisoners in the Gulf kingdom.

The men, who both live in Britain, sued Bahrain at London's High Court in 2020, seeking damages for what they said was "psychiatric harm".

Bahrain denies hacking Shehabi and Mohammed's laptops and has for several years sought to claim state immunity to defeat the lawsuit, appealing last year to the UK's highest court.

The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed Bahrain's appeal by a three to two majority, ruling that the alleged surveillance took place in Britain even if it was initiated from abroad.

This meant the alleged hacking came within the personal injury exception to state immunity under UK law and that Shehabi and Mohammed's case could proceed.

"The era of abusing victims while hiding behind state immunity is over," Mohammed said in a statement.

"This is not just a victory for us, but for everyone targeted by authoritarian states beyond their own borders," Shehabi added. "The court's message is clear: states that abuse people on British soil will be held accountable."

Bahrain's Global Communication Office did not immediately respond to an emailed request for .

The case is now expected to return to the High Court.