started · updated
UK Supreme Court Rejects Bahrain's Immunity Claim in Spyware Lawsuit
London's Supreme Court dismissed Bahrain's bid to claim state immunity over a spyware lawsuit, ruling by a narrow 3‑2 majority that alleged surveillance conducted on computers located in the United Kingdom falls within the personal‑injury exception to state immunity. The decision allows the case to proceed to trial.
The plaintiffs, Bahraini journalist Saeed Shehabi and refugee Moosa Mohammed, allege that Bahrain's security services installed the FinSpy surveillance tool on their laptops in 2011, enabling remote logging of keystrokes, location tracking and monitoring. Both men, who reside in the UK, sued in the High Court in 2020 seeking damages for psychiatric harm. Earlier, the High Court in 2023 rejected Bahrain's immunity claim, a decision upheld by the Court of Appeal, before the Supreme Court's final ruling.
Entities
Bahrain · FinSpy · Moosa Mohammed · Saeed Shehabi · United Kingdom Supreme Court
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 5 SOURCES] The decision was made by a narrow 3‑2 majority. antiguatribune.com · dominicanrepublicpost.com · jamaicainquirer.com · www.aljazeera.com · www.newarab.com
- [● 5 SOURCES] FinSpy is capable of logging keystrokes, tracking locations and monitoring activities remotely. antiguatribune.com · dominicanrepublicpost.com · jamaicainquirer.com · www.aljazeera.com · www.newarab.com
- [● 5 SOURCES] The claimants are seeking damages for psychiatric harm. antiguatribune.com · dominicanrepublicpost.com · jamaicainquirer.com · www.aljazeera.com · www.newarab.com
- [● 5 SOURCES] The plaintiffs are Saeed Shehabi and Moosa Mohammed, Bahrain dissidents residing in the United Kingdom. antiguatribune.com · dominicanrepublicpost.com · jamaicainquirer.com · www.aljazeera.com · www.newarab.com
- [● 5 SOURCES] The UK Supreme Court dismissed Bahrain's appeal for state immunity in a spyware lawsuit. antiguatribune.com · dominicanrepublicpost.com · jamaicainquirer.com · www.aljazeera.com · www.newarab.com
- [● 5 SOURCES] They allege that Bahrain infected their computers with the FinSpy spyware in 2011. antiguatribune.com · dominicanrepublicpost.com · jamaicainquirer.com · www.aljazeera.com · www.newarab.com
- [● 5 SOURCES] The ruling establishes that foreign states can be sued in UK courts for surveillance acts that occur in the UK even if directed from abroad. antiguatribune.com · dominicanrepublicpost.com · jamaicainquirer.com · www.aljazeera.com · www.newarab.com
- [● 5 SOURCES] The High Court rejected Bahrain's immunity claim in 2023, and the Court of Appeal upheld that decision. antiguatribune.com · dominicanrepublicpost.com · jamaicainquirer.com · www.aljazeera.com · www.newarab.com