Democracy Taskforce. The purpose of the taskforce is to work across the government and with the intelligence community to protect the UK from transnational repression, among other foreign threats.22 The UK has experienced a number of transnational repression incidents in the past, including high-profile poisonings of Russian exiles, attacks on Saudi dissidents, and harassment of activists by officials from China and Bahrain.23 In October, a prodemocracy activist from Hong Kong who was protesting at the Chinese consulate in Manchester was assaulted by consulate staff.24 In addition to the Defending Democracy Taskforce, the UK government is also considering other proactive steps including amendments to the National Security Bill that would criminalize acts of coercion, harassment, and intimidation that are linked to a foreign government; they would also increase sentences for existing criminal acts if they are found to be done at the direction of a foreign state. As part of the bill, the UK government is also proposing the creation of a Foreign Influence Registration Scheme that would require organizations and individuals to register with the secretary of state if they plan to engage in “political influence” activities.25 At the same time that the UK government is considering policy changes that would enhance its ability to address the threat of transnational repression domestically, it has adopted a migration policy based on close cooperation with a government that uses tactics of transnational repression. In April 2022, the UK government signed a Migration and Economic Development Partnership with the government of Rwanda that included a five-year “asylum partnership arrangement,” which allows the UK government to detain people coming to England to claim asylum and send them to Rwanda instead. The arrangement specifically targets people entering the UK through “irregular” means from a safe third country, including by crossing the English Channel in small boats. In June, a flight to Rwanda full of asylum-seekers was prevented from leaving England by an injunction from the European Court of Human Rights. However, in December, London’s High Court found that the arrangement was lawful overall even though the UK government was obliged to consider the circumstances of each asylum seeker individually before transferring them to Rwanda.26 The asylum deal is dangerous because it undercuts the UK government’s obligation to abide by the UN Refugee Convention. It also puts the British government into direct partnership with a well-known perpetrator of transnational repression. The Rwandan government has targeted critics, including via assassinations, around the world.27 Until recently, Rwanda imprisoned Paul Rusesabagina, a permanent resident of the United States, who was abducted by Rwandan authorities while in transit and returned to Rwanda in 2020. In the past, the Rwandan government has failed to safeguard the rights of refugees fleeing nearby conflict zones. In 2018, the security services used force, including live ammunition, against protesters at refugee camps.28 British home secretary Suella Braverman meets Rwandan president Paul Kagame during a visit to Kigali, Rwanda, in March 2023. (Image credit: Alamy/ Stefan Rousseau) 6 The UK government’s concern over the threat posed by foreign governments domestically should extend to the process by which it negotiates international partnerships. Tactics of transnational repression are widespread among authoritarian governments. Raising the costs of foreign interference at home while partnering with perpetrators abroad undermines both the credibility and effectiveness of governments’ efforts to stop transnational repression. Explore more at https://freedomhouse.org/report/transnational-repression #TransnationalRepression