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DRAFT REPORT (2025/2048(INI))

On addressing transnational repression of human rights defenders

AFET-PR-774242

Committee on Foreign Affairs · Rapporteur: Chloé Ridel

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✦ In short · AI summary of this text, generated 4 Sept 2026

Written by a language model from the full text only; every figure comes from the text. The paragraph links open the paragraph a statement rests on — check the text itself before relying on it.

This draft report addresses transnational repression (TNR) of human rights defenders (HRDs). It condemns TNR, calls for EU policies to include TNR, and proposes measures for monitoring, digital oversight, accountability, and sanctions.

Committee position. The rapporteur proposes a resolution that condemns transnational repression and calls for a comprehensive EU strategy to protect human rights defenders, including policy updates, monitoring, digital oversight, and sanctions.

Key points

  1. Condemns TNR as a threat to human rights and sovereignty, including physical harm, surveillance, legal pressure, digital threats, abductions, and unlawful killings.
  2. Condemns authoritarian regimes for using digital TNR, AI, spyware, hacking, and doxing, especially against women HRDs.
  3. Condemns legal and diplomatic pressure, including politically motivated Interpol red notices, misuse of 'terrorist' labelling, prosecutions in absentia, and administrative measures like citizenship revocation.
  4. Calls on the Commission, Member States, and EEAS to address TNR in human rights dialogues and revise the EU Action Plan and Guidelines on HRDs to include TNR.
  5. Calls for implementing the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum to protect HRDs and for coherent visa policies for HRDs targeted by TNR.
  6. Calls for coordinated monitoring, data collection, and reporting mechanisms, including a centralised EU mechanism and codifying TNR in national legislation.
  7. Calls for training on TNR for government agencies and staff, and for strict oversight of spyware, including repealing export licences when appropriate.
  8. Calls for enforcing the Digital Services Act to ensure social media platforms address TNR.
  9. Calls for accountability under international conventions, increased funding for ProtectDefenders.eu, and collaboration with Interpol and the UN to end abusive notices.
  10. Calls for using sanctions, visa bans, expulsion of diplomats, and intensified diplomatic relations to deter TNR.

Who is affected

  • Human rights defenders at risk of transnational repression, including exiles and diaspora members.
  • EU institutions (Commission, EEAS, Europol) and Member States, which are called to implement new policies.
  • Non-EU countries and authoritarian regimes that commit TNR, which are condemned and targeted by sanctions.
  • Private spyware industry and social media platforms, which face oversight and enforcement.

Legal basis: Articles 3 and 21 of the Treaty on European Union