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In a move that sends shockwaves through diplomatic and legal circles globally, the High Court of Justice in London has ordered the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) to pay more than £3 million to Ghanem al-Masarir, a prominent Saudi dissident and satirist. The ruling, handed down on Monday, January 26, 2026, by Mr. Justice Saini, marks the first time a foreign sovereign state has been held legally liable in a British court for the deployment of mercenary spyware against a UK resident.
The judgment concludes a grueling seven-year legal battle that began after al-Masarir’s life was upended by state-sponsored surveillance and a brazen physical attack. Justice Saini’s decision confirms that the Kingdom’s use of the Israeli-made Pegasus spyware constituted a "grossly intrusive" violation of privacy, effectively turning the activist’s smartphones into pocket-sized bugging devices that funneled his private data to a hostile foreign intelligence apparatus.
The Man Behind the Satire: From Aflaj to Asylum
Ghanem Humood al-Masarir, widely known to his 300 million YouTube viewers as Ghanem al-Dosari, is a 45-year-old Saudi national of the Dosari ethnic tribe. Born in Aflaj and raised in Al-Kharj, al-Masarir fled the Kingdom in 2003 to study in the UK. By 2012, his biting comedy and "Fadfada" talk show—which labels the Saudi leadership with mocking pseudonyms like "Salmanco"—made him a primary target of Riyadh’s wrath.
He was granted political asylum in the United Kingdom in 2018, the same year the Saudi state’s campaign against him escalated from digital intrusion to physical violence. On August 31, 2018, just weeks before the assassination of Jamal Khashoggi, al-Masarir was punched and harassed outside Harrods in Knightsbridge by men who questioned his right to criticize the House of Saud. The court has now officially linked this assault to the Saudi state, citing a "compelling basis" that the attack was directed or authorized by the Kingdom.
A Breakdown of the £3 Million Judgment
The financial award of £3,025,662 is meticulously calculated to address the total destruction of al-Masarir’s quality of life. The court heard harrowing testimony regarding the dissident's mental health; once a vibrant media personality, he now suffers from chronic, severe depression and rarely leaves his home.
The damages include over £2.5 million for the loss of his YouTube income stream, which was stifled as he became too fearful to continue his work. The remainder covers psychiatric harm and the physical injuries sustained during the 2018 assault. By awarding this sum, the UK judiciary has rejected the "state immunity" defense that Saudi Arabia had repeatedly used in an attempt to quash the proceedings.
What Happens Next: Enforcement and Global Precedent
The immediate question is whether Saudi Arabia will honor the debt. Having withdrawn from the proceedings after losing an initial appeal in 2023, the Kingdom currently remains in defiance of several court orders. If Riyadh refuses to pay, al-Masarir’s legal team may seek to "freeze and seize" Saudi state assets located within the UK jurisdiction—a move that could include commercial properties or government-owned bank accounts.
Beyond the money, this case paves the way for "Ghanem’s Law," a proposed legislative framework aimed at defining and criminalizing transnational repression. This ruling serves as a warning to other nations utilizing spyware like Pegasus: the era of hiding behind "sovereign authority" to silence critics abroad is coming to a close. As similar cases against Bahrain and other regimes move through the Supreme Court, London has solidified its status as a frontline battlefield for digital human rights.
