Transnational Repression

When foreign governments reach beyond their borders to intimidate, silence, coerce, harass, or harm members of their diaspora and exile communities in the United States, that is transnational repression. You can get help to stop it.

Some foreign governments seek to intimidate and silence their citizens who are visiting or living in the United States. These governments may also target members of their diaspora who are permanent residents, naturalized or U.S.-born citizens, members of their family, or friends. These activities threaten U.S. sovereignty, violate U.S. law, and infringe on individuals’ rights and freedoms.

Transnational repression may take the following forms:

Stalking
Online disinformation campaigns
Harassment
Intimidation or threats
Forcing or coercing the victim to return to their country of origin
Threatening or detaining family members or friends in the country of origin
Abusive legal practices (e.g., lawsuits, asset freezes, or withholding legal documents such as passports)
Cyberhacking
Assault
Attempted kidnapping
Attempted murder

Foreign governments may use transnational repression tactics to silence the voices of their citizens (or non-citizens connected to the country), get information from them, or coerce them to return to the country of origin.

Threat Intimidation Guide

Learn more about the types of transnational repression and what to do if you’ve been threatened. Available in English and many other languages.

How to Report

If you are in the United States, including in a U.S. territory, your freedoms are protected, regardless of your citizenship. If you feel you have been affected by transnational repression, report it to the FBI.

Contact the FBI online at tips.fbi.gov.
Call 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324).

Who is targeted

Foreign governments typically target:

Political and human rights activists
Dissidents
Journalists
Political opponents
Religious or ethnic minority groups

IC3 Public Service Announcement

The FBI is warning the public about criminal actors impersonating Chinese police officers to defraud the US-based Chinese community, in particular Chinese students attending universities in the United States.

The criminal actors tell victims they are being investigated for an alleged financial crime in China and need to pay to avoid arrest. The criminal actors then direct victims to consent to 24/7 video and audio monitoring. The scheme consists of four phases.