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Media professionals are increasingly targeted by transnational repression (TNR), which is when authoritarian states carry out attacks beyond their national borders. These attacks can be physical, digital and psychological, as demonstrated by the credible threats to Iran International journalists across seven countries including G7 members Germany, UK, USA and Canada. The ongoing threats against Egyptian investigative journalist Basma Mostafa, who lives in Germany, have been described as ‘extremely worrying’. Authoritarian states also resort to legal means: Russian authorities impose prison sentences in absentia or issue arrest warrants for media professionals in exile, which severely restricts their mobility. Such measures are intended to suppress critical voices, intimidate exiled journalists and silence opposition figures.
RSF has been documenting these attacks for many years. In addition to Russia and Egypt, journalists from China, Belarus, Iran, Türkiye, Azerbaijan and Vietnam, and many other countries are affected. However, there are many unreported cases and insufficient data, which makes an effective response difficult.
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