This paper focuses on some of the key forms of digital repression in the Middle East and North Africa, and their implications for deepening Israeli-Gulf links and Chinese digital diplomacy. Pegasus was used to hack the devices of human rights activists across the Middle East and North Africa – including those working on abuses by the Bahraini state, documenting Israeli violations of Palestinians’ rights, and defending Sahrawi rights. Nor has it used its global human rights sanctions regime, adopted in 2020, in relation to digital repression. The union’s human rights defenders mechanism provides training in digital security, disbursing 47 emergency grants for digital security and protection measures in 2021. It is still unclear whether the union mentioned digital repression in its first human rights dialogue with Saudi Arabia in late 2021.

Source: The North Africa Journal June 29, 2022 12:52 UTC