Three Activists to Sue UAE in the High Court of England and Wales

Three activists have started legal proceedings against the UAE, Saudi Arabia and the Israeli technology company NSO after their phones were allegedly hacked using the Pegasus software.

The claimants are Anas Altikriti, the founder and CEO of The Cordoba Foundation. It is alleged that he was hacked using the Pegasus spyware in 2020 by the United Arab Emirates.

Mohammed Kozbar, who is the current Chairman of Finsbury Park Mosque, is alleged to have been hacked using the Pegasus spyware in 2018 by the United Arab Emirates.

And Yahya Assiri, who is the former Secretary General of the National Assembly Party (NAAS), a pro-democracy Saudi opposition party, is alleged to have been hacked using the Pegasus spyware in 2020 by Saudi Arabia.

The three claimants are part of a larger group of activists, academics, politicians and other prominent figures.

Saudi Arabia and the UAE are among several governments around the world accused of using Pegasus spyware to monitor the activities of dissidents and other critics, following the leaking of a list of 50,000 alleged potential surveillance targets to rights groups.