DEFENDING DEMOCRACY IN EXILE Policy Responses to Transnational Repression assistance, and arrest warrants are processed at the federal level, in consultation with multiple government bodies, before dispersal to relevant law enforcement. The German Federal Ministry of Justice (BfJ), the Federal Foreign Office, the Federal Criminal Police Office, and other government authorities may be involved in the review process, which includes determining whether there are legal or political reasons not to comply with the request.50 The Act on International Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters has numerous restrictions on extradition, including when the request is based on an alleged political offence, when there is a risk that the individual will be transferred to a third state, and when the individual may be subject to capital punishment. In 2018, the German government halted deportations of Uyghurs and other Muslims to China due to the Chinese Communist Party’s persecution of these groups.51 Oversight and protections against unlawful deportation are particularly necessary because Germany, both bilaterally and 8 @FreedomHouse as part of the EU, has return-and-readmission agreements with numerous states known to engage in transnational repression, including Azerbaijan, Belarus, Russia, Pakistan, and Turkey.52 Despite these safeguards—and efforts by the government to limit Interpol abuse, such as reviewing the coordination between relevant ministries—targets of transnational repression in Germany have been subject to detention and unlawful deportation.53 In 2017, intervention by the Foreign Office prevented a Rwandan from being extradited at the Rwandan government’s request, but not until he had already spent time in detention.54 Similarly, in 2015 an Egyptian journalist was detained on the basis of an Egyptian extradition request for two days before being released.55 In 2017 and 2018, two Chechen asylum seekers were extradited to Russia despite a high likelihood of poor and politicized treatment.56 Improved coordination and awareness of transnational repression in oversight processes would prevent similar incidents in the future. #TransnationalRepression