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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Stephanie Kirchgaessner in Washington and Audrey Travère with Forbidden Stories

‘Most harmful thing’ – how spyware is stifling human rights in Bahrain

The phone of Mohammed al-Tajer, a Bahraini lawyer once involved in human rights work, was hacked by a government client of NSO Group, the Israeli spyware maker.
The phone of Mohammed al-Tajer, a Bahraini lawyer once involved in human rights work, was hacked by a government client of NSO Group, the Israeli spyware maker. Photograph: supplied

Mohammed al-Tajer was caught off guard when his iPhone pinged last November with a warning that said his phone had been targeted by a nation state.

The 55-year-old lawyer from Bahrain had been known among dissidents for his “fearless” defence of opposition leaders and protesters after the 2011 pro-democracy uprising in the tiny Gulf state, when a series of demonstrations and protests were violently suppressed by authorities with the help of Saudi forces.

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