Saudi Arabia's Surveillance Tactics: From Pegasus Spyware to Wiretapping Allegations
Saudi Arabia's controversial surveillance tactics, from the alleged use of Pegasus spyware by companies like NSO Group and Candero to the United Nations' reports on wiretapping incidents involving high-profile figures like Jeffrey Bezos.
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Human Rights Watch has released a report titled "Wherever You Are, We Will Find You," offering insight into the repression exerted by regional governments on their citizens residing outside their borders over the last 15 years. The report highlights countries such as Saudi Arabia and Bahrain among those implicated in such actions.
Bruno Stano, a senior human rights officer at Human Rights Watch, emphasized the importance of governments, the United Nations, and other international organizations acknowledging cross-border repression as a violation of human rights. Stano stressed the need for these entities to adhere to human rights frameworks in their policies and advocate for the rights of marginalized groups and individuals.
From the Founding Saudi Princes to Bin Salman
In its report released on February 22, 2024, this organization highlighted the assassination of "Jamal Khashoggi," a prominent Saudi journalist in 2018 at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, as a stark illustration of the suppression of dissent beyond national borders. The report also underscores Saudi Arabia's practice of targeting the family members of dissidents to intimidate and silence opposition voices.
In this context, the report mentions "Nasser Al Saeed Al-Shammari," who organized a series of peaceful protests to advocate for better working conditions for Aramco oil company workers. His efforts led to the company addressing his demands. However, in 1953, he was once again arrested by the Saudi government at that time for his support of Palestine.
Following his release, the Saudi government imposed severe restrictions on him, prompting him to flee from Saudi Arabia to Egypt and later to Lebanon. However, he was abducted by the Saudi intelligence agency in Beirut, and his fate remains unknown to this day.
"Ghanem Al-Dwaisri" is another Saudi dissident renowned for sharing insightful videos on YouTube. Years ago, he was compelled to relocate to England due to significant pressure from the Saudi government, and currently, he resides in London.
He was subjected to repeated beatings and death threats by agents of the Saudi regime. In one instance, he explicitly stated that a Saudi prince contacted him, threatening his life and indicating that he would soon be taken to Saudi Arabia to submit to Mohammed bin Salman.
One of the tactics employed by Saudi governments, particularly the current regime, is to engage in eavesdropping and espionage on foreign opponents using Israeli spy equipment.
Arbitrary and Forced Repatriation
In another section of the report, it highlights the efforts of certain Arab regimes in the region, like Bahrain, to forcibly repatriate their opponents with the assistance of international law enforcement agencies.
In this context, the report mentions Ahmad Jafar Muhammad Ali, a Bahraini dissident. He sought refuge in Serbia after enduring multiple arrests and instances of torture in the prisons of the Al-Khalifa regime, where he was sentenced to life imprisonment. However, in 2022, he was arbitrarily and forcefully detained in Serbia and sent back to Bahrain.
The report also discusses Saad Al Jabri, the former head of the Saudi Intelligence Organization, who is suing Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the United States for allegedly trying to assassinate him in Canada in late 2018.
Al-Jabri has also raised additional concerns, alleging multiple assassination attempts by bin Salman in the United States. These attempts are reportedly linked to Al-Jabri possessing sensitive information regarding the relationship between the United States and Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Alliance With Israeli Companies
As per information disclosed in 2018, Saudi authorities reportedly hired Twitter employees with the intention of acquiring data, information, and updates concerning citizens, activists, and journalists.
Reports highlight that surveillance of the accounts of certain journalists and Twitter users has resulted in the arrest and legal action against some individuals. Furthermore, as per the European Saudi Human Rights Organization, the Saudi regime has utilized private social media information to monitor and question citizens based on their stances and viewpoints, leading to instances of harassment.
Similarly, media reports have verified the acquisition of the Pegasus spy system by the Saudi regime in 2021. This system was reportedly utilized by the regime to monitor and listen in on dissidents located outside the country.
The English newspaper "The Guardian" highlighted that the NSO Group had secured a license to provide hacking tools to the Saudi regime and had entered into a confidential agreement to sell its technology to Saudi Arabia. Subsequently, it was disclosed that the value of this contract was at least 55 million dollars.
In 2021, the United Nations released reports regarding the alleged targeted wiretapping of Mohammed bin Salman from the phone of Jeffrey Bezos, the CEO of Amazon and the owner of The Washington Post newspaper.
The report highlights that Saudi Arabia allegedly utilized the information it acquired against Bezos and The Washington Post newspaper as a form of retaliation. This action was reportedly in response to the newspaper's publication of critical reports against the Saudi regime and Mohammed bin Salman himself concerning the murder of Jamal Khashoggi.
On the other hand, a report published by researchers based in Montreal from the Slovak internet security company "E-Set" unveiled the utilization of spyware by the Israeli company "Candero" in Saudi Arabia.
The company disclosed that Saudi Arabia was reportedly targeting the British media outlet Middle East Eye, the Italian company Piago Aerospace, and the official websites of Iran, Syria, Yemen, and Hezbollah.
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