OUT OF SIGHT, NOT OUT OF REACH The Global Scale and Scope of Transnational Repression efforts, they do not seek to win influence through the powers of attraction, but instead aim to divide, subvert, co-opt, and coerce. If sharp power indicates measures that “pierce, penetrate, or perforate the political and information environment in the targeted countries,”28 transnational repression refers to those that do so specifically by silencing people in such countries—the sharpest weapons in the sharp power arsenal, as it were. And while the immediate targets may be diaspora and exile populations, the host countries should understand that transnational repression also has an effect on their societies at large. Authoritarianism, rather than being a mode of governance confined to a specific sovereign jurisdiction, is a set of practices that can be expanded, copied, and exported,29 and transnational repression is one of its means of reproduction abroad. “They kill you even if they don’t kill your body. They kill your spirit.” –Rwandan exile residing in Europe Why it matters Transnational repression is worthy of attention first and foremost because of its impact on the rights of its victims. Journalists, human rights defenders, political activists, or just regular members of a diaspora are forced into silence. Those who dare to continue with their work face painful choices: to separate themselves from their families back home, to be ostracized from their communities, to risk life and livelihood, or simply to bear the constant stress and trauma of living under threat. Acts of extreme violence like assassinations or renditions have ripple effects across a community, but constant digital intimidation and coercion by proxy also wear down their intended targets. Exiles with whom Freedom House spoke for this report described intense feelings of depression and exhaustion. As an Iranian activist said, “They drain you emotionally, financially, in every way.”30 8 @FreedomHouse Exiles described separating themselves from others in their community, avoiding even casual interactions like getting coffee, and moving to different cities to be farther away from fellow members of the diaspora. They also often struggle to maintain contact with their family members in the origin country, knowing that any communication could put such relatives at risk of imprisonment or worse. In light of the consequences for those who are most active, even those who are not directly targeted sometimes decide to remain silent. A Rwandan exile told Freedom House, “They kill you even if they don’t kill your body. They kill your spirit.”31 What these exiles describe is a violation of their fundamental human rights. Regardless of their citizenship status in a host country, they are entitled by virtue of their humanity to speak, to assemble, and to associate freely. Transnational repression degrades those rights, stunting diaspora engagement not only in the civic life of their origin country, but also in that of their country of residence.32 Moreover, transnational repression is a threat to the rule of law in states that host diasporas and exiles. Most of the relevant tactics involve overt legal violations, and often the corruption of host country institutions—whether through literal financial bribery of specific officials or through other extralegal inducements to breach domestic and international law. All of these practices subordinate legal order and the rights of individuals to transactions between governments and officials. The growth of transnational repression should be understood as a menace to the democratic aspirations of host countries as well as to the exiles and diasporas themselves. This report lays out in detail what transnational repression is and how it works, with six case studies of specific states that conduct transnational repression campaigns: China, Iran, Russia, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey. It also provides snapshots of how such campaigns have unfolded in different regions, and offers recommendations to policymakers on how to hold perpetrators accountable and increase democratic resilience. #TransnationalRepression