Former US Intelligence Officials Sued for Helping Saudi Government Spy on Activist

This picture taken Feb. 10, 2021 in Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh shows a woman viewing a tweet posted by the sister of Saudi activist Loujain al-Hathloul, Lina, showing a screenshot of them having a video call following Hathloul's release after nearly three years in detention. Saudi authorities on February 10 released the prominent women's rights activist, her family said. Fayez Nureldine/AFP via Getty Images

Saudi human rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul is suing spyware firm DarkMatter Group and three former U.S. intelligence officials for their role in a scandal that helped land her in a Saudi Arabian prison.

Former DarkMatter Group executives Marc Baier, Ryan Adams, and Daniel Gericke pleaded guilty in September for their role in Project Raven, in which the government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) hired a group of former U.S. intelligence agents to develop surveillance technology that was often used against human rights activists and other dissidents.