A judge has allowed Saudi Yahya Assiri to sue the kingdom for allegedly targeting his devices with Pegasus spyware and other Israeli surveillance tools.
Reuters he says:
Yahya Assiri, a founder of the opposition National Assembly Party (NAAS) who lives in exile in Britain, claims his electronic devices were targeted with surveillance software between 2018 and 2020.
Assiri sued Saudi Arabia at the High Court in London, alleging that the country used the Pegasus (made by Israeli company NSO Group, sold only to governments) and other spyware made by the lesser-known Israeli company QuaDream because of its collaboration with anti-regime forces.
Earlier this month, Supreme Court Justice Roger Eastman gave Assiri permission to serve his lawsuit on the Saudi government, a step that required the court to find that Assiri has a basis for his claims.
The decision announced on Monday to allow the case to be served on Saudi Arabia in Riyadh.
Assiri said:
“I am fully aware that the authorities will want to target me. However, it is outrageous that they are targeting people like the victims and their families in Saudi Arabia simply because they came into contact with me."