A recent report by Freedom House has shed light on the tactics employed by authoritarian regimes to suppress criticism from international students and faculty on U.S. campuses. The report also delves into the impacts of these attacks on the individuals targeted.
According to a press release from Freedom House, the report, titled "Addressing Transnational Repression on Campuses in the United States," reveals that transnational speech suppression is a frequent occurrence against international students, visiting scholars, and faculty members. These individuals are subjected to daily digital and physical surveillance, harassment, assaults, threats, and even retaliation against family members residing in their home countries.
The report draws upon interviews with international students, scholars, and administrators in the United States as its primary sources of information. It builds upon an April 2023 analysis by Freedom House that disclosed 38 governments had carried out 854 incidents of physical, direct transnational repression in 91 countries between 2014 and 2022. The methods of repression included assassinations, assaults, detentions, and illegal deportations.
The press release further notes that while China is frequently associated with these tactics, other governments—including those of Egypt, India, Rwanda and Saudi Arabia—also strive to silence international students and faculty. They often resort to online methods to harass, surveil, threaten and intimidate family members.
As per the press release issued by Freedom House, over one million international students enrolled at institutions in the United States are victims of transnational repression. "Young people who come to the United States to take advantage of its higher education system are being followed and harassed by some of the worst perpetrators of human rights violations," said Abramowitz in the press release. He added that many colleges and universities lack adequate measures to protect them from ongoing threats posed by authoritarian regimes. Abramowitz stressed that administrators need to gain a better understanding of what transnational repression entails and devise strategies to safeguard members of their campus communities.
