Bangladesh, Oct. 21 -- The United Nations latest annual report on reprisals has exposed a chilling trend: the growing sophistication and global spread of targeted repression against human rights activists, even beyond their home countries. The report, covering cases from May 2024 to May 2025, underscores an alarming reality – that authoritarian states are not only silencing dissent at home but also reaching across borders to intimidate, harass, and harm critics who seek refuge abroad.

The report documents new allegations of transnational repression from more than two dozen countries, including China, which features prominently due to its persistent targeting of dissidents overseas. This aligns with findings from the International C...