Transnational repression (TNR) is a growing threat to human rights and democratic space. It refers to the range of tactics used by authoritarian states to pursue, intimidate, and silence critics beyond their borders—targeting exiled dissidents, journalists, activists, and diaspora communities through legal harassment, surveillance, threats, coercion, and other forms of pressure.
These practices have direct consequences for fundamental rights, access to justice, civic participation, and the safety of individuals and communities at risk. As the Italian Federation for Human Rights (FIDU), we have launched a dedicated campaign to raise awareness, strengthen protection pathways, and support coordinated responses among institutions, legal professionals, and civil society.
This campaign also builds on the work of the Tackling TNR Europe Civil Society Working Group, a collaborative initiative in which FIDU participates. Through structured dialogue with European Union institutions and the United Nations, the Working Group aims to map emerging trends in transnational repression, strengthen institutional responses, and advance coordinated policies to counter TNR—also by engaging key actors such as the European Parliament, the European External Action Service, and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
The activities brings together research, public outreach, and engagement with key stakeholders to make TNR visible, to document its impact, and to promote effective safeguards and accountability. As part of this effort, FIDU and the International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR) have jointly published a new report, “Domestic Capacity to Address Transnational Repression: Italy,” assessing how Italy responds to transnational repression (TNR) perpetrated by the Russian Federation on Italian soil.
The report, authored by Eleonora Mongelli, Alessandra Tursi, and Vincenzo Vitulli, examines the effectiveness of Italy’s legal and policy frameworks in protecting individuals targeted by Russian authorities. It focuses on how repressive tactics—both formal and covert—are deployed across borders to silence dissent, intimidate exiles, and restrict the activities of political opponents and activists.
The report aims to assess Italy’s capacity to address transnational repression perpetrated by the Russian Federation, focusing on its effectiveness in protecting dissidents and countering repressive tactics deployed across borders. Specifically, it evaluates Italy’s legal and policy frameworks to identify key gaps that hinder the protection of individuals targeted by Russian authorities. Through interviews with victims and experts, the report presents real-life cases of TNR in Italy, offering a deeper understanding of the tactics (both official and covert) employed, how they manifest in practice, and the challenges faced by authorities, institutions, and civil society in addressing them. The report concludes with a series of actionable recommendations designed to enhance Italy’s response to TNR, improve victim protection, and strengthen institutional and civil society coordination in line with international human rights standards.
Watch here the press conference held by FIDU and IPHR at the Italian Senate