London, Britain The High Court in London ruled on Wednesday that Bahrain cannot invoke sovereign immunity to prevent a case launched in Britain by two dissidents who allege their government hacked their laptops with spyware, Reuters reported.
According to Saeed Shehabi and Moosa Mohammed, Bahrain infected their computers with FinSpy spying software, allowing agents to take control of their laptops, access their data, and monitor their chats.
The software also allows users to enable microphones and cameras on electronic gadgets to perform live surveillance and monitor their whereabouts.
Shehabi and Mohammed, who both live in Britain, now seek damages for “psychiatric harm”.
Bahrain denied that laptops of Shehabi and Mohammed were hacked.and has sought evidence of doing so.
Earlier, the kingdom claimed it was entitled to state immunity since the alleged hacking did not occur in the United Kingdom and the psychological injuries claimed did not amount to personal injuries, for which there is an exception to state immunity in English law
However, Judge Julian Knowles denied Bahrain’s application, allowing Shehabi and Mohammed’s case to proceed in London.
“This decision demonstrates that we can prevail in our fight for justice and that our voices will not be muzzled by the Bahraini regime’s reprisals or intimidation,” Mohammed said in a written statement quoted by Reuters.