YouTube Critic Awarded £3 Million in Landmark High Court Ruling
A British-based YouTube satirist and activist has been awarded more than £3 million in compensation after a High Court judge found the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia responsible for hacking his phone with Pegasus spyware and orchestrating a violent physical assault outside Harrods in London.
Vicious Attack and Covert Surveillance
Ghanem Al-Masarir, 45, a prominent online critic of the Saudi royal family with nearly 350 million YouTube views, sustained significant eye injuries during an unprovoked attack in Knightsbridge in August 2018. The assault occurred after he was followed from a café meeting, with two men punching him and shouting accusations that he was a "slave to Qatar." Passers-by intervened to prevent more serious harm.
In a parallel invasion of privacy, Mr Justice Saini ruled that Saudi Arabia or its agents had covertly installed Pegasus spyware on Al-Masarir's iPhones. This malicious software granted ongoing access to all his data, enabled location tracking, intercepted calls, and secretly activated the phones' microphones and cameras, effectively turning them into bugging devices.
High Court Condemns "Exceptionally Grave" Violations
Following a hearing last week, Mr Justice Saini entered a summary judgment on Monday after Saudi authorities failed to submit any defence to the allegations. The judge stated the Kingdom had "no realistic prospect" of defending the case and ordered a compensation payout of £3,025,662.
"The covert accessing of that information, together with the tracking of his location, the interception of his calls, and use of the phones’ microphones and cameras to monitor the claimant, constituted in my judgment exceptionally grave invasions of his privacy," Justice Saini said in his ruling.
He emphasised that Al-Masarir's activities as a human rights activist represented a legitimate exercise of free speech and could not possibly justify the hacking, surveillance, or physical violence.
Catastrophic Personal and Professional Consequences
Al-Masarir, who was born in Saudi Arabia, moved to England in 2003 and was granted asylum in 2018. He argued that the discovery of the surveillance campaign led to severe depression, effectively ending his once-thriving YouTube career. The judge noted he is now largely unable to work or perform basic daily activities, rarely leaving his home.
The compensation award includes over £2.5 million specifically for the loss of his YouTube income stream, reflecting the profound impact on his livelihood.
Judgment Highlights State Accountability
Justice Saini rejected any potential invocation of "state immunity" by Saudi Arabia, stating the Kingdom had a "clear interest in and motivation to shut down the claimant’s public criticism." He described the attack as premeditated, noting one assailant was wearing an earpiece, suggesting coordination.
"Proceeding to trial would result in a wholly unnecessary use of court time and resources," the judge concluded, citing Saudi Arabia's failure to participate in the legal process. "Entering summary judgment at this stage is the only course consistent with the overriding objective."
This landmark ruling underscores significant legal accountability for state-sponsored harassment and violence against critics on British soil, setting a notable precedent in cases involving foreign governments and digital espionage.
