FBI has a dedicated stream of work on transnational repression, including a public web page, the issuance of several unclassified counterintelligence bulletins for targeted communities, and the creation of a general threat intimidation guide that is linked on the transnational repression webpage and translated into over 60 languages. Transnational repression is also now a category that can be reported via the general FBI hotline. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has shared information on transnational repression with DHS law enforcement, pursued outreach to vulnerable communities inside the US, and is working on developing a strategy to protect faithbased communities from incidents of transnational repression. DHS is also working to pull together national and international engagements on the issue, and DHS and the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) are in conversation around what a training module could look like. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has also been focused on outreach, issuing a public fact sheet on resources available to protect against transnational repression. The Commerce Department has moved to rein in the use of American technology in the production of powerful commercial spyware, which is a crucial vector of transnational repression. The State and Treasury departments have sanctioned perpetrators of transnational repression. The Department of State has provided some training for diplomats, and State’s annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices include a section on transnational repression. They are also engaging on this topic with allies around the world, including through the G7 Rapid Response Mechanism Working Group on Transnational Repression and have helped coordinate emergency responses with partners when individuals have been targeted for transnational repression abroad. There are also a number of bills pending in Congress. These are all important steps that we and others have encouraged, and we applaud these efforts. But, more action is needed. An urgent need to act: recommendations for Congress The impact of transnational repression on targeted individuals is severe. People’s physical safety is endangered, their travel is complicated, their houses are surveilled in the US and elsewhere, they are harassed online and offline, and communication with family and friends living in the country of origin is fraught. Some people are cut off from their families entirely. Each individual incident of transnational repression produces ripple effects throughout the community, fostering an atmosphere of fear and suspicion among neighbors and compatriots. For too long, democracies have missed or allowed the actions of authoritarian countries inside their borders. Such a pattern of impunity has emboldened states to act abroad without fear of consequences. Would the government of India have dared to target individuals in Canada and the United States if the brutal murder of Jamal Khashoggi had been met with more forceful accountability measures for each and every Saudi official involved in his death? There are a number of measures Congress can take to limit the ability of governments to engage in transitional repression on US soil and ensure the protection of those within our borders. Annie Wilcox Boyajian Freedom House January 17, 2023 4