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Addressing transnational repression of human rights defenders

TA-10-2025-0258 · P10_TA(2025)0258 · PE774.242

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

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Parliament's resolution on transnational repression of human rights defenders condemns such repression, proposes a definition, and calls for EU action to protect HRDs, including through monitoring, digital safeguards, sanctions, and support.

Key points

  1. Proposes defining transnational repression as cross-border attacks by states to coerce, control, or silence dissidents, HRDs, and diaspora, using physical and non-physical methods.
  2. Condemns all forms of transnational repression, including digital, gender-based, and legal pressure, and calls for a broadly agreed definition and legal framework.
  3. Calls on the Commission, Member States, and EEAS to address transnational repression in human rights dialogues and agreements, and to include it in future EU action plans and guidelines.
  4. Urges fast-track, flexible support for HRDs at risk, including emergency support, relocation, digital security training, legal assistance, and psychosocial support.
  5. Calls for coordinated monitoring and data collection mechanisms, including a centralised EU mapping mechanism and national focal points.
  6. Calls for training for law enforcement and immigration officers on transnational repression awareness and risk assessment.
  7. Calls for strict oversight of spyware exports, including repealing licences to countries with documented human rights violations, and for criminalising foreign intelligence activities against dissidents.
  8. Calls for holding private actors accountable for enabling digital transnational repression and for transparency reports and grievance mechanisms.
  9. Calls for sanctions on perpetrators, including under the EU global human rights sanctions regime, and for supporting victims through strategic litigation.
  10. Calls for increased funding for ProtectDefenders.eu and civil society organisations protecting HRDs.
  11. Calls for collaboration with Interpol and the UN to prevent abusive red notices and for Europol's mandate to include transnational repression.

Who is affected

  • Human rights defenders, dissidents, journalists, and diaspora members at risk of transnational repression.
  • EU Member States, the Commission, and the EEAS, which are called on to implement protection measures.
  • Technology companies and spyware exporters, which face accountability and export restrictions.
  • Perpetrator states and their proxies, which are condemned and targeted for sanctions.

Figures and deadlines

  • Over 25 % of the world's governments engaged in transnational repression from 2014-2024, with 1 219 incidents across 103 countries.
  • 10 regimes account for nearly 80 % of all transnational repression cases.

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