The sale, purchase, and use of surveillance technology by governments should also be subject to robust public debate and stakeholder consultation, and there must be mechanisms for sanctions and redress in case of abuse.119 TAKING CARE OF ACTIVIST WELLBEING The wellbeing of activists must be protected if they are to continue to do their essential work. Activists must tackle a range of issues when relocating to another country including obtaining asylum or a residence permit, covering costs of living, and navigating new language and cultural barriers. They may also face racism, xenophobia, and other forms of discrimination and harassment. Even host country authorities can be a source of pressure and threats. Moreover, exiled activists have often experienced government pressure, persecution, imprisonment, and even torture before deciding to leave their home country. Accordingly, after reaching a more secure environment, they may need to deal with the resulting challenges to their wellbeing such as burnout, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. They may also harbor feelings of isolation and guilt vis-à-vis those who stayed behind. The tensions of living in exile, especially when combined to continuous harassment and threats from the home regime, thus risk aggravating feelings of prolonged stress and paranoia – of having “no place to hide.” Unfortunately, the emotional and psychosocial security of activists is a critical, but usually neglected, component in protection strategies for human rights defenders. Human rights practice is itself impregnated by ideas of “self-sacrifice, heroism, and martyrdom.”120 Activists often find it difficult to talk about and deal with any emotional and mental challenges they are facing because of social, cultural, or religious norms and stigmas. Diaspora and exiled activists, in particular, may feel compelled to compare their condition with that of peers inside the country, under immediate threat from state authorities, and simply take issues of psychosocial security off the table. But the wellbeing of activists must be considered an essential element for “the sustainability and effectiveness of activism over the longer term.”121 Accordingly, interventions aiming to support the security and resilience of civil society activists need to provide the appropriate mechanisms to address the wellbeing of activists by taking into account the political, social, and cultural contexts they come from and operate in, as well as their individual experiences.122 Much more work must be done in this area to properly support activists operating in exile. INVOLVING HOST SOCIETIES Host societies must work to become more involved in protecting the rights of activists living within their borders. Societies hosting exiled and diaspora activists have a responsibility to help counter the practices of governments exporting repression overseas. At the level of civil society, it is important to document and raise awareness on transnational repression. Authoritarian regimes have proven to be susceptible to the pressure of public attention and the instruments of human rights advocacy, such as the Universal Periodic Review of the United Nations Human Rights Council. Media focus on targeted dissidents can help shed light on, and frustrate, tactics of silencing across borders. 119 Anstis, S., Deibert, R., & Scott-Railton, J. (2019, July 19). A Proposed Response to the Commercial Surveillance Emergency. Lawfare Blog. https://www.lawfareblog.com/proposed-response-commercial-surveillance-emergency; McKune, S., & Deibert, R. (2017). Who’s watching Little Brother? Citizen Lab. https://citizenlab.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/citizenlab_whoswatching-little-brother.pdf. 120 Human Rights Defender Hub (2017). Wellbeing, Risk, and Human Rights Practice. Policy Brief 1, University of York, p. 2. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/57ab08756a49635fe426003e/t/58ee2a3debbd1a718d29553c/1505738548404/ HRD+Hub+Policy+Brief+1+EN.pdf. 121 The Barcelona Guidelines on Wellbeing and Temporary International Relocation of Human Rights Defenders at Risk. (2019, June), p. 6. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/58a1a2bb9f745664e6b41612/t/5de6a0d7ae38e0103312349b/1575395544981/ The+Barcelona+Guidelines+-+EN+%28Final%29.pdf. 122 36 Ibid.