A High Court judge has ordered Saudi Arabia to pay more than £3 million in damages to Ghanem al-Masarir, a London-based dissident whose phones were hacked using Pegasus spyware. Judge Pushpinder Saini ruled on Monday that the kingdom was responsible for the hacking and a physical attack on al-Masarir outside Harrods in 2018.
The judge found a compelling basis that al-Masarir's iPhones were hacked by Pegasus spyware, resulting in data exfiltration, and that this was directed or authorised by Saudi Arabia or its agents. He also concluded, on the balance of probabilities, that the kingdom was behind the physical attack, noting that Saudi Arabia had a clear interest in silencing al-Masarir's public criticism.
Al-Masarir, a 45-year-old satirist also known as Ghanem al-Dosari, said the ruling affirmed that standing up for the truth is worth the struggle, and he hopes Saudi Arabia will comply without further enforcement. The kingdom had previously sought to dismiss the case on state immunity grounds but lost that argument in 2022.
The court heard that al-Masarir continues to suffer severe depression, is unable to work, and rarely leaves his home seven years after being targeted. His lawyer, Sapna Malik of Leigh Day, said the judgment vindicates her client's efforts to hold Saudi Arabia accountable for its grossly intrusive conduct.
Ron Deibert of the Citizen Lab, which analysed the spyware infection, praised the ruling as providing an avenue for justice for victims of targeted espionage and transnational repression.
