This report also highlights cases of governments misusing the International Criminal Police
Organization (Interpol)—an intergovernmental organization with 195 member countries—to
target critics abroad.
Victims of transnational repression have included government critics, actual or perceived
dissidents, human rights defenders, civil society activists, journalists, and opposition party
members and others. Governments have targeted individuals because of their identity, such
as ethnicity, religion, or gender. Back home, families and friends of targeted people may also
become victims, as governments detain, harass, or harm them as retribution or collective
punishment. Transnational repression can have far-reaching consequences, including a
chilling effect on the rights to freedom of expression, association, and assembly among
those who have been targeted or fear they could be next.
This report is not an exhaustive examination of cases of transnational repression. Instead,
it outlines cases that Human Rights Watch has documented in the course of researching
global human rights issues that point to key methods and trends of transnational
repression.
Human Rights Watch hopes that by drawing attention to cases of transnational repression,
international organizations and concerned governments will pursue actions to provide
greater safety and security for those at risk. Governments responsible for transnational
repression should be on notice that their efforts to silence critics, threaten human rights
defenders, and target people based on their identity are no less problematic abroad than
they are at home. This report provides governments seeking to tackle transnational
repression with concrete recommendations, while raising caution against laws and
policies that could restrict other human rights.
Human Rights Watch calls on governments committing transnational repression to respect
international human rights standards both within and beyond their territory. Governments
combatting transnational repression should recognize such abuses as a threat to human
rights generally and act to protect those at risk within their jurisdiction or control.
“WE WILL FIND YOU”
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