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Description
Introduction
Transnational Repression (TNR) – the act of a government, or authorized group, coercing, repressing, or retaliating against individuals outside its sovereign territory – has significantly increased in recent years. Transnational repression often targets human rights defenders, activists, critics, journalists, and political opponents. Despite its insidious spread, the international community continues to grapple with applying a standard definition, as well as accountability and enforcement.
Transnational repression knows no borders. TNR can take many forms ranging from physical attacks such as the brazen murder of American citizen and journalist Jamal Khashoggi, coercion by proxy (e.g., the threatening of family members) to the use of technology to monitor and harass. Governments who engage in transnational repression to silence those who speak against its policies do so with impunity under current international law. Their disregard for international norms and human rights fosters fear in ethnic and marginalized communities around the world.
Furthermore, studies have shown repression, both domestic and abroad, is an essential tool for the longevity of authoritarian regimes. A 2023 study conducted by Dukalskis, Furstenberg et. al, states the “interaction between domestic repression and diplomatic representation is positive and statistically significant. Domestic repression is more likely to translate into TR [transnational repression] if a state is well represented abroad, granting it the logistical means to execute TR.”
Publication Date
5-1-2024
Recommended Citation
Brown, Sarah and Mitchell, Amy K., "GNSI Decision Brief: Repression Without Borders: How Nations Silence Critics Abroad" (2024). GNSI Decision Briefs. 14.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/gnsi_decision_briefs/14
DOI
https://doi.org/10.5038/MOCK3688
