DEFENDING DEMOCRACY IN EXILE Policy Responses to Transnational Repression Raising awareness among law enforcement and security personnel Law enforcement agencies are often the first point of contact in host states for victims of transnational repression. It is crucial that they be prepared to recognize the signs of extraterritorial attacks and respond appropriately. At an individual level, untrained law enforcement officials might dismiss the seriousness of complaints if they do not understand the context, particularly when the victim is reporting threats from a state that is not widely understood as an adversary. At a structural level, lack of preparedness means a lack of clear policies for responding to and elevating incidents of transnational repression, which are needed to provide adequate protections and inform accountability. All of these deficiencies could deter victims from engaging with law enforcement and may limit the host state’s overall resilience. Law enforcement and security agencies should be informed of the threat posed by extraterritorial violence, including its forms, purpose, and potential targets. This might include training that explains the drivers of transnational repression and disseminates information on perpetrator states. Not only would such training facilitate and strengthen criminal investigations, but it would also ease the burden of reporting for victims of transnational repression, as they would be dealing with police officers who already understand how and why authoritarian governments try to silence critics abroad. Lack of preparedness means a lack of clear policies for responding to and elevating incidents of transnational repression. Some countries have begun to train officers and collect data on transnational repression. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), which is responsible for countering foreign intelligence operations inside the United States, has instituted processes to categorize records of certain reported crimes—such as harassment, assault, threats, and stalking—as incidents of transnational repression through its National Threat Operations Center. As part of this effort, the bureau has created new staff training about transnational repression that will help those receiving reports to properly identify 14 @FreedomHouse cases. Informed training and accurate data on transnational repression will enable the FBI to respond more effectively to the threat. Awareness among security agencies about transnational repression can also strengthen their resistance to authoritarian manipulation under the guise of bilateral cooperation. For example, in February 2017, Turkish intelligence services requested German assistance in their surveillance of hundreds of Turks living in Germany. Turkish authorities shared detailed information with their German counterparts, including names, addresses, phone numbers, and clandestinely acquired photographs.55 Germany’s intelligence services, aware of the fact that the Turkish government is one of the world’s most prolific perpetrators of transnational repression, did not blindly comply with the request. Instead, the Federal Intelligence Service (BND) alerted the relevant government offices, the federal criminal police, and the federal prosecutor general of the Turkish request. Local offices, including state police, warned the affected individuals that they were being surveilled and might face reprisals if they travel to Turkey. Proactive protections for targeted individuals Public support of vulnerable communities, proactive police protection, and dissemination of information about available assistance are all extremely important for countering extraterritorial violence. The governments of authoritarian countries use all of the power at their disposal to harass, intimidate, and threaten exiles and diasporas. Individuals subjected to transnational repression, by contrast, are often made to feel powerless and alone. Police protection can be lifesaving. In the United Kingdom, the police provide a Threat to Life warning in cases where there is a known risk of harm to an individual, including from a foreign state. These warnings come with advice about how those targeted can change their daily routines to mitigate the threat and include offers of protection from the London Metropolitan Police Service’s Counter Terrorism Command. The Metropolitan Police issued Threat to Life warnings to at least two Rwandans, René Mugenzi and Jonathan Musonera, in 2011.56 The warnings read, “Although the Metropolitan Police Service will take what steps it can to minimize the risk, the police cannot protect you from this threat on a day-byday, hour-by-hour basis.” In the United States, authorities also issue warnings and can provide protection to targeted individuals. In August 2019, the FBI warned Roya Hakakian, an #TransnationalRepression