Gulf nation is accused of placing monitoring software on computers of two dissidents living in London
Bahrain is to tell the UK’s supreme court that it enjoys sovereign immunity from claims it placed surveillance software on the computers of two dissidents when they were living in London.
The Gulf country has lost the sovereign immunity claim both in the high court and court of appeal, and a decision to take the case further to the supreme court shows how important it is to the country’s reputation.
If Bahrain was to win, the ruling would have wider implications for how authoritarian countries use digital spyware to monitor and potentially harass political dissidents living in the UK.
The supreme court hearing, beginning on Wednesday, will be focused on whether the two men have the right to claim damages due to Bahrain’s claim of immunity, and not on whether damages are applicable.
