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The criminal case is designed to change the paradigm in the espionage industry.
A lawsuit has been filed in the UK in connection with the use of Pegasus spyware. Journalists and activists whose phones were hacked between 2018 and 2020 appealed to the London police, accusing 5 people of involvement in the attack. According to the applicants, the hack was carried out using Pegasus spyware. It is assumed that the government structures of Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain are behind the attack.
The essence of the complaint is a violation of the British Computer Misuse Act of 1990. The defendants, according to the victims, are responsible for the sale of Pegasus software to countries known for repression of human rights defenders and critics of the authorities. The complaint was prepared by the Global Legal Action Network (GLAN) on behalf of the victims.
Among the victims of Pegasus are:
Charges have been brought against a number of entities associated with the development and distribution of Pegasus, including the Israeli company NSO Group, the Luxembourg-based Q Cyber Technologies, as well as the British investment company Novalpina Capital, which bought out NSO's stake in 2019. Pegasus is widely known as a tool used to suppress human rights defenders, and was even mentioned in connection with the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
The complaint also highlights that the use of Pegasus in the UK poses a threat to national security. The software has been used to attack government networks, including the Prime Minister's Office and the Foreign Office, as well as to hack into the phone of House of Lords member Fiona Shackleton while she was representing Princess Haya of Dubai in court.
Anas Al-Tikriti said that the use of such technologies to harass political activists is a serious violation of personal and public safety. He also stressed the need for an international investigation into the actions of cybersecurity companies, which, according to Al-Tikriti, go beyond what is allowed and endanger people's lives.
Yusuf al-Jamri was shocked to learn that the security officers who had tortured him in Bahrain had been able to hack into his phone on British soil. According to Al-Jamri, such cyberattacks on privacy should be taken as seriously as hacking into banking systems. He insists that the perpetrators must be held accountable.
Bindmans, a law firm representing victims, said it hoped the criminal case would be a turning point in the fight for the rights of human rights defenders affected by spyware.
Source
A lawsuit has been filed in the UK in connection with the use of Pegasus spyware. Journalists and activists whose phones were hacked between 2018 and 2020 appealed to the London police, accusing 5 people of involvement in the attack. According to the applicants, the hack was carried out using Pegasus spyware. It is assumed that the government structures of Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain are behind the attack.
The essence of the complaint is a violation of the British Computer Misuse Act of 1990. The defendants, according to the victims, are responsible for the sale of Pegasus software to countries known for repression of human rights defenders and critics of the authorities. The complaint was prepared by the Global Legal Action Network (GLAN) on behalf of the victims.
Among the victims of Pegasus are:
- Anas Al-Tikriti: Founder of the Cordoba Foundation, a UK-based foundation that promotes intercultural dialogue. The organization has often criticized governments in the Middle East, in particular the UAE.
- Azzam Tamimi: Palestinian-born journalist and political activist, founder of Al-Hiwar TV channel. He is known for his criticism of the Saudi authorities.
- Mohammed Kozbar: Chairman of the Finesbury Park Mosque in London, who opposes UAE policies.
- Yusuf Al-Jamri: A Bahraini activist who was granted asylum in the UK after being persecuted in his home country for his human rights work.
Charges have been brought against a number of entities associated with the development and distribution of Pegasus, including the Israeli company NSO Group, the Luxembourg-based Q Cyber Technologies, as well as the British investment company Novalpina Capital, which bought out NSO's stake in 2019. Pegasus is widely known as a tool used to suppress human rights defenders, and was even mentioned in connection with the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
The complaint also highlights that the use of Pegasus in the UK poses a threat to national security. The software has been used to attack government networks, including the Prime Minister's Office and the Foreign Office, as well as to hack into the phone of House of Lords member Fiona Shackleton while she was representing Princess Haya of Dubai in court.
Anas Al-Tikriti said that the use of such technologies to harass political activists is a serious violation of personal and public safety. He also stressed the need for an international investigation into the actions of cybersecurity companies, which, according to Al-Tikriti, go beyond what is allowed and endanger people's lives.
Yusuf al-Jamri was shocked to learn that the security officers who had tortured him in Bahrain had been able to hack into his phone on British soil. According to Al-Jamri, such cyberattacks on privacy should be taken as seriously as hacking into banking systems. He insists that the perpetrators must be held accountable.
Bindmans, a law firm representing victims, said it hoped the criminal case would be a turning point in the fight for the rights of human rights defenders affected by spyware.
Source
