Autocratic Regimes Increase Transnational Repression Through Collaboration

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Autocratic Regimes Increase Transnational Repression Through Collaboration

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Transnational repression, defined as autocratic governments reaching beyond their borders to harass and silence opponents, remained a significant global issue in 2025. Freedom House’s latest report, released in April 2026, documented 126 new incidents of physical transnational repression in 2025, involving 30 countries. These incidents include cross-border assassinations, abductions, and intimidation of dissidents living abroad.

A key finding of the 2025 report is the growing collaboration among authoritarian regimes to target dissenters. Over half of the recorded incidents in 2025, specifically 69 out of 126, occurred in Southeast Asia and East Africa, driven by this increased cooperation. For example, Thailand cooperated with Chinese and Vietnamese authorities to detain and return members of minority groups, and China’s deportation of 40 Uyghur men in February 2025 solidified its role as a leading perpetrator. In East Africa, Kenyan, Ugandan, and Tanzanian authorities assisted each other in tracking, detaining, and returning activists.

China, Vietnam, and Russia were identified as the top perpetrators of transnational repression in 2025. Additionally, six new governments—Afghanistan, Benin, Georgia, Kenya, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe—were identified for the first time as employing these tactics. The report also noted that detention was the most common tactic, with 49 incidents, followed closely by unlawful deportation, with 48 incidents. In at least 11 cases, perpetrator governments misused Interpol notices to target exiled dissidents.

Since 2014, Freedom House has recorded a total of 1,375 direct, physical incidents of transnational repression across 107 countries. At least 54 governments, or over a quarter of all countries, have engaged in attempts to silence dissidents abroad. While democratic governments have increased their awareness and policy responses to transnational repression, concerns remain regarding how migration systems can inadvertently facilitate these actions when due process protections are weakened.

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