A reading of texts by the detained journalist Deniz Yücel, held at the Festsaal Kreuzberg in Berlin, Germany, 15 March 2017. Gregor Fischer/Press Association. All rights reserved.For dissidents and rights defenders around the world, the ability to seek refuge abroad has always been a crucial lifeline. Autocratic and authoritarian regimes in particular give rise to expat communities abroad, as those willing to speak out at home are often forced into exile.
Increasingly, though, persecution has not stopped at the border: today’s autocrats are displaying a growing audacity in their willingness to pursuing dissenters everywhere, using varied methods, and blatantly disregarding national boundaries in the process. As the tentacles of oppression slither deeper into what should be safe havens, it’s high time the West recognizes its moral obligation to fight back.
China takes a particularly aggressive approach, reaching far beyond its own borders to pursue activists the government sees as threats. Beijing follows a tried and tested playbook to go after its critics abroad: deploy Chinese citizens as well as Chinese-born foreign citizens to infiltrate dissident expat communities, with the aim of forcing dissidents to return to China. Examples of this modus operandi can be found in places as far apart as Sweden and Canada. In the latter case, Chinese agents have doubled their efforts to force expats to return after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau displayed his unwillingness to heed Beijing’s demands and conclude a repatriation treaty. These tactics offer the added benefit of avoiding lengthy legal battles involving dissidents’ host countries on whether or not to deport those who have sought refuge.
