- Mis à jour le 09/01/2025
- Actualité
- Publié le 26/12/2024
The concept of “transnational repression” refers to all the repressive actions taken by some governments to identify, locate, monitor, intimidate, censor, repatriate or take the life of their political rivals and opponents abroad.
The concept of “transnational repression” refers to all the repressive actions taken by some governments to identify, locate, monitor, intimidate, censor, repatriate or take the life of their political rivals and opponents abroad.
These actions violate the rights guaranteed by the State to people residing in France. They are acts of foreign interference and, as such, are monitored in priority by DGSI as part of its counter‑espionage mission.
Who can be targeted by a transnational repression operation?
Political dissidents and opponents, journalists, activists, ethnic or religious minorities, etc. People close to these targets and residing in France can also be targeted by transnational repression operations.
What does a transnational repression operation look like?
Transnational repression can take different forms. The hereafter examples are not comprehensive.
Monitoring demonstrations is a means to identify the participants in a rally – and potentially to intimidate them. Photographs of participants can be taken during these rallies and then used as a leverage over them or their circle.
Infiltrating the opponents’ professional and personal networks to identify, monitor and/or neutralise the networks of dissidents abroad.
Carrying out cyberattacks to paralyse the activities of dissident organisations. In addition to personal, confidential and sensitive data theft (which may be used against them), these digital attacks can be intended to alter the computer systems of the targeted organisations.
Making threats against a France-based individual to make them stop their activities, execute orders or go back to their home country. These threats may be more or less violent and might be based on blackmail. One can be threatened physically, by phone, on social media and/or by email.
Pressuring families and friends in the home country is recurrent example of transnational repression that can be materialised by receiving notifications to go to local police stations, or being put under surveillance, being subjected to threats or administrative sanctions impacting the career of the dissidents’ circle, being arrested and even going missing.
Online harassment consists in implementing media disinformation and/or online bullying campaigns: cyber-harassment (email and social media), publishing deceitful articles to discredit and isolate individuals, publishing threats as well disclosing personal information. Personal data of the dissidents and their families may also be broadly disseminate on public websites or on chat groups.
Administrative and judicial harassment is also used as part of transnational repression operations. For instance, individuals may have their identity documents (like their passports) confiscated without any apparent reason.
Some foreign governments also abusively prosecute their opponents (notably for libel) to intimidate them.
Lastly, a severe financial pressure may also be exerted against individuals by freezing their bank accounts, the forced closure or sale of their businesses as well as the search and sale of their property.Disseminating bonuses and rewards for capturing dissidents may also be a means to better arrest them.
Repatriation attempt is a way for foreign regimes to persuade an individual (blackmail, intimidation and threats) to return to their home country. Repatriation can also be orchestrated by force: the individual is physically forced (kidnapping, abduction, etc.) to return to their home country.
Attempted murder is a rarer case scenario which may nevertheless be orchestrated.
Examples
Roger participates in a demonstration and notices individuals who seem to take pictures of the protesters, including him. It looks like these individuals are not part of the security service nor of the service organising the event. A few days later, Roger receives text messages from unknown senders who send him a photograph of him taken during the demonstration, and order him to stop his dissident activities.
Emma has been living in France for some years. One day, she receives a concerning text message from her parents who remained in her home country. They explain to her that they were being pressured by local law enforcement which insistently ask them to convince Emma to go back home to rectify her administrative status.
Julia arrived in France recently to continue her international law studies. After being notified to go to the Embassy for administrative reasons, an officer takes her passport. She will be able to have it back only if she regularly reports to the embassy.
Thomas opens his mail box and discovers an email sent by an unknown sender. The latter demonstrates that they have hacked his private messaging and have a lot of personal information. In exchange for his silence, the criminal tells him to communicate his street address as well as the phone number of his friend Bruno who came in France two years ago and writes sometimes political posts on his blog.
Contact us
Do you recognize yourself in these scenarii and wish to report an alarming transnational repression situation of which you, a working relation or someone close are the target?
Please do not hesitate to contact us. It is never too late. Regardless of your citizenship, your rights are protected on French territory.
If you believe that you are a victim or a witness of a transnational repression operation, please contact our services:
If you are facing an imminent threat that endangers your life or that of others, immediately call:
17 or 112
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