What is Transnational Repression (TNR)?

Borders are supposed to protect. So why are human rights defenders still being hunted in exile?

Human Rights Watch has noted that,

“Thailand has become a ‘swap mart’ for dissidents across the region, where governments cooperate to target critics beyond their own borders.”

This is transnational repression (TNR). When states reach across borders to surveil, intimidate, silence, detain, forcibly return, or even physically harm those who speak out. From digital surveillance and online harassment to enforced disappearance and assassination attempts, TNR is not an imaginary threat. It is happening now, and across Southeast Asia, Thailand has become the leading hub where these abuses unfold, with over 150 reported cases in the last decade alone.

For many human rights defenders, crossing a border does not mean safety. Not only will they be a target, but their family and friends will also be at risk.

📲 Swipe through. Learn the patterns. Stay with us for the voices of survivors. We can all be part of ending transnational repression.

SOURCE: OHCHR, The Civic Space Brief on Transnational Repression (18 June 2025)

#WeAreManushyan ♾️ Equal Human Beings

#EndTransnationalRepression #DefendTheDefenders #CrossBorderRepression