Britain's Supreme Court decided Bahrain cannot invoke state immunity to stop a case filed by two critics who claim the kingdom used FinSpy software to access their computers.

Cyberattack on a smartphone. Beware of downloading spyware (Illustrative).

(photo credit: PIXABAY)

ByREUTERS

JULY 27, 2026 14:38

Bahrain is barred from relying on state immunity to halt legal action in Britain brought by two dissidents alleging government agents compromised their laptops via spyware, the United Kingdom Supreme Court ruled by majority on Monday.

Saeed Shehabi and Moosa Mohammed claim Bahrain installed FinSpy surveillance software on their machines near 2011, enabling officials to track their advocacy for political prisoners in the Gulf state.

The pair, both residents of Britain, launched proceedings against Bahrain at London's High Court in 2020 to recover compensation for psychiatric harm.

Bahrain rejects the hacking allegations and has long pursued state immunity to end the litigation.

London's High Court rejected the immunity claim in 2023, as did the Court of Appeal the next year, leading Bahrain to seek review from the nation's top court.

Bahrain cannot block spyware lawsuit

The Supreme Court on Monday rejected Bahrain's appeal in a 3-to-2 decision, holding that the claimed surveillance occurred inside Britain despite remote initiation from overseas.

Consequently the alleged intrusion fell under the personal injury exception to state immunity in UK law, allowing the case by Shehabi and Mohammed to move forward.