China leads countries trying to silence exiled dissidents: Report
What's the story
According to a study by Washington DC-based non-profit organization Freedom House, China tops the list of nations carrying out transnational repression efforts. The study recorded 1,219 incidents carried out by 48 governments across 103 countries between 2014 and 2024. China was responsible for a shocking 272 incidents, which is nearly 22% of all incidents recorded during the period.
Global concern
Transnational repression prevalent in democracies
Other major players in transnational repression are Russia, Turkey, and Egypt. Iran also makes it to the top 10 offenders with 47 cases documented during the period of study. Yana Gorokhovskaia, research director at Freedom House, said she was alarmed by such activities even in democracies such as the United States, Canada, and several European nations. "Every year, we record cases in places like the United States, Canada, the UK, France, Germany and Sweden," she said.
Vulnerable groups
Muslims, journalists disproportionately targeted
The study also revealed that Muslims are disproportionately affected by transnational repression, comprising 64% of targeted incidents globally. The Uyghurs from northwest China are subjected to sustained monitoring and threats from Chinese authorities, according to the research. "Uyghurs don't have to be activists to be targeted...It's not that censoring themselves would solve this problem for them. It's because their whole group is viewed as a threat, and so that's why they're being targeted," Gorokhovskaia said.
Surveillance tactics
China's extensive surveillance and repression tactics
In 2022, cybersecurity experts uncovered a spyware campaign targeting Uyghurs through fake Android apps. Chinese students abroad have complained of being watched and followed. China has also been accused of running secret police stations around the world to keep tabs on opponents of the Chinese Communist Party. In 2023, an illegal Chinese police station was found in New York.