Authorities seem to be particularly sensitive about the influence that more outspoken and public figures gain over audiences in host and home society. The Iranian authorities, for instance, systematically harass and threaten the families of staff at the BBC’s Persian service and other external Iranian news media. Family members have been regularly summoned and interrogated by different organizations of state security. The sister of a BBC journalist was even held in prison for 17 days to force the journalist into an interrogation via Skype.71 Authorities have also cancelled passports and exit permits of parents scheduled to visit their children working as journalists abroad. One respondent even mentioned attempts to recruit more distant family members to spy on journalists or to provide personal information that could be used for further pressure: “This is very terrible because you will always have a doubt in the back of your mind when this friend or that relative is visiting or getting in touch with you, if they might be recruited by the intelligence agencies.”72 In 2017, the BBC filed an official complaint to the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of expression and opinion as well as to the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran. This was the first time the BBC engaged with the UN over the protection of its journalists. In the process, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed his concern over the persecution of BBC staff by the Iranian authorities, and the European parliament condemned the harassment of journalists and their families.73 Respondents from Egypt, Syria, and Iran all feared for their relatives back home. These threats place diaspora activists in an critical position where they must decide between protecting their loved ones or pursuing their profession. As one Syrian respondent put it: “This is the first nightmare for any activist.”74 By moving against in-country relatives, regimes jeopardize the autonomy and freedom activists enjoy abroad. In the words of another Syrian activist: “It is an intimidation that puts huge pressure on activists outside. It is not their lives anymore, it is not their freedom anymore. I am free to express my opinion but not if it causes harm to other people. If it causes harm to me, I am responsible for myself. But I cannot be responsible for the harm on other people.”75 Targeting families is one of the most effective tools to contain and silence dissidents abroad. While repressive rulers have never hesitated to punish the kinship of their opponents, today’s threats against in-country relatives of political emigrants build on intense cross-border ties sustained by digital communications. In this manner, regime agents are able to closely monitor activists and journalists beyond their borders—and come up with swift responses. Such actions are made all the more effective because exiled activists quickly learn about threats to their families and then must evaluate the risk that the continuation of their activities entails for both them and their loved ones. 71 Saremi, N. (2017, October 28). Iran’s Persistent Attacks on BBC Persian Journalists. Iran Wire. https://iranwire.com/en/ features/4934. 72 Interview I15, March 2019. 73 BBC Media Centre (2019, March 12). UN Special Rapporteur “deplores” the persecution of BBC Persian staff and their families. https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2019/persian-un; Greenslade, R. (2019, March 17). Iran’s threats to BBC Persian staff must be confronted. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/media/commentisfree/2019/mar/17/ irans-threats-to-bbc-persian-staff-must-be-confronted. 74 Interview S10, January 2019. 75 Interview S5, October 2018. 22