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PSYCHOLOGICAL AND EMOTIONAL WAR
You are very careful, more careful than what you used to be [...] [You] don’t usually
write everything you want to post or you want to; all your thoughts are not written or
posted whenever you want anymore. You are more careful, [...] you calculate things
differently—what’s going to happen, are you going to piss somebody [off] personally
or are you going to affect your family, affect your friends, affect your opportunity.
Despite being in Canada, Ahmad is still concerned for his family and colleagues’ safety in
Yemen due to his work. In particular, he is concerned that the information of people he is in
contact with in Yemen will be exposed and used to harm them or to blackmail him. This fear is
particularly acute because Houthi militias arrested some of the journalist’s family members
to pressure him and forced his family to disavow him in a statement. Ahmad remains worried,
stressed, and fearful in Canada. Ahmad’s work and studies in Canada have suffered, and his
social life has been impacted both online and offline as it is very difficult for him to trust anyone.
The Relationship between Digital Transnational Repression
and Physical Security
Participants noted that in addition to digital targeting they were subjected to other means
of transnational repression, such as physical threats. Thus, participants’ departure from
their country of origin did not necessarily resolve their concerns regarding their physical
safety, and participants continued to feel unsafe in Canada.
For example, a Saudi activist (previously identified as Ali) explained that he was
approached by individuals in Canada who attempted to lure him back to his country of
origin. A Syrian activist recounted that they were threatened by individuals in Canada
not to participate in political activities. A Yemeni journalist (previously identified as
Ahmad) noted with relief that he felt safe enough to go for coffee in Canada, but he then
explained that his family members were arrested because of his activities and that they
still get threats if he posts on Facebook, which highlights how the physical safety of family
members in the country of origin may continue to be at risk even when an activist has
left the country of origin.
A social and political activist from East Turkestan explained that, during a presentation
at a university, someone who appeared to be a university student attempted to disrupt
the participant’s presentation. The participant believed that the student may have been
acting on the direction of individuals at the Chinese consulate in Canada. The participant also recounted that they received repeated phone calls telling them to come to the
consulate of their country of origin in Canada to pick up a document.
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