Freedom House Bringing accountability for acts of transnational repression Deploy a robust strategy for targeted sanctions against perpetrators of transnational repression. Targeted sanctions, such as denying or revoking visas for entry to the United States, or freezing US-based assets, enjoy broad bipartisan support and should play a key role in raising the cost of transnational repression for perpetrators. To make sanctions as impactful as possible: • Impose the strongest possible targeted sanctions on perpetrators and enablers of acts of transnational repression. Current law and presidential actions allow for targeted sanctions on individuals (including both government officials and private citizens) and entities involved in human rights abuses, including assassinations and renditions, which are some of the most serious forms of transnational repression. In some cases, the family members of perpetrators are also eligible for sanction. • Impose export controls on companies that knowingly provided technologies, goods, or services to facilitate the commission of transnational repression. Policymakers should investigate the extent to which commercial surveillance tools, such as spyware and extraction technology, have been used against Americans and in the commission of transnational repression. • Congress should pass the Revealing and Explaining Exclusions for Accountability (REVEAL) Act (S.2392/ H.R.4557). Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) allows the US government to deny entry to a person if there is “reasonable ground to believe [that person’s entry to the United States] would have potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences.” But, under current law the names of those denied entry and reasons for their denial may not be made public. The REVEAL Act would allow names and reasons for visa denial to be made public—a naming and shaming tactic that could help deter future abuses. • Congress and the executive branch should work together to ensure robust funding for the implementation and enforcement of targeted sanctions. The US Department of the Treasury, Department of State, and Department of Justice all collect information about suspected perpetrators of abuses eligible for sanction. Unfortunately, the number of potential sanctions cases to be vetted by the US government far exceeds current capacity, and the recent flurry of sanctions related to the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine has added to this workload. Funding for additional personnel in relevant sanctions offices would help ensure the executive branch has adequate capacity to implement sanctions policies. Restrict security assistance for states engaging in transnational repression. Section 502B of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended (22 USC 2304), is intended to “promote and encourage respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms throughout the world” by making the observance of human rights a “principal goal of US foreign policy.” Current law prohibits the provision of security assistance to any government engaging “in a consistent pattern of gross violations of internationally recognized human rights” unless the president certifies to Congress that “extraordinary circumstances” warrant the provision of assistance. This section should be updated to allow the restriction of security assistance for states consistently engaging in acts of transnational repression. This would serve the dual purpose of limiting an aggressor government’s resources for engaging in transnational repression while also sending a strong signal that the behavior is unacceptable. Supporting victims of transnational repression Ensure that the United States maintains a robust refugee resettlement program and an efficient, rightsbased approach to assessing claims for asylum to protect victims of transnational repression and others fleeing persecution. As Congress noted in the Refugee Resettlement Act of 1980, “it is the historic policy of the United States to respond to the urgent needs of persons subject to persecution in their homelands.” Many refugees fled political persecution in countries that engage in transnational repression, and face threats even after resettlement. Refugees who live in strong democracies where the rule of law is upheld and institutions are accountable have stronger basic protection against transnational repression than those who do not. With this in mind, the Biden administration should: • Commit to rebuilding the country’s refugee resettlement program and provide adequate resources to eliminate the asylum processing backlog. Each year, the president and Congress work together to set an annual cap on the number of allowable refugee resettlement admissions for that year. Historically, the cap has been as high as 207,116 in 1980, and as low as 15,000 in 2021. The Biden administration should work with Congress to uphold the United States’ commitment to refugee resettlement and ensure that victims of transnational repression freedomhouse.org 15