WASHINGTON—In response to the G7 Leaders’ statement issued during the summit in Canada earlier this week recognizing transnational repression as a global threat to national security and democracy, as well as the group’s commitment to raising awareness of the issue and promoting accountability for perpetrators, Freedom House issued the following policy statement:
“Freedom House welcomes the G7’s acknowledgement that transnational repression undermines national security, sovereignty, human rights, and principles of international law. We applaud the leaders of Canada, the United States, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Japan, Italy, and the European Union for recognizing the wide array of transnational repression tactics, including physical violence, digital harassment, and threats against family members. This statement lays out an important and ambitious plan. Among the proposed actions, efforts to enhance global understanding of transnational repression through the G7’s Rapid Response Mechanism for reporting, to develop and deploy best practices, and to act in solidarity with targeted individuals are especially critical. The G7’s attention to digital transnational repression and countering
technology-enabled threats, including through ongoing initiatives like the Pall Mall process, is likewise welcome.
“Freedom House’s recent research documenting 1,219 incidents of transnational repression since 2014 found that 48 governments have resorted to brutal tactics—including assassinations, abductions, assaults, detentions, and unlawful deportations—against exiles living in over 100 countries. At least 19 governments have used commercial spyware to track and harass their victims living abroad.
“As the leaders of the G7 highlight, transnational repression has a broad “chilling effect” by assaulting the integrity of democratic societies. In addition to multilateral efforts to respond to transnational repression, which are crucial to combatting this form of authoritarian aggression, democratic governments should adopt an official definition of transnational repression, provide training for law enforcement to recognize incidents, and directly engage with diaspora communities at risk. Governments should also leverage sanctions, visa restrictions, procurement authorities, and export-control authorities to combat the misuse of commercial spyware and protect their populations from foreign surveillance attempts.
“We commend Canada for elevating this issue during its G7 presidency and urge member states to follow through with meaningful actions.”
Read Freedom House’s full recommendations for addressing transnational repression here.
