On 14 November 2025, Scilla Alecci of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, Inc. (ICIJ) wrote about a parliamentary report which identified China and other authoritarian regimes as harassing and attacking dissidents abroad, echoing findings from ICIJ’s China Targets.
European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium.
The European Parliament has adopted a resolution urging member states to confront efforts by authoritarian regimes to coerce, control or silence political opponents and dissidents living in Europe. “Human rights defenders are a key pillar of democracy and the rule of law, and they are insufficiently protected,” a statement from the parliament said.
The resolution, adopted with a majority of 512 votes (to 76 against and 52 abstentions), called for targeted sanctions against perpetrators, market surveillance of spyware and better coordination among European authorities to counter what lawmakers labeled “transnational repression.”
The resolution is not legally binding but signals that European lawmakers want to take a clear position on the issue and draw attention to it, Elodie Laborie, a spokesperson for the Parliament’s Subcommittee on Human Rights, told the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists in an email.
It confirms findings by ICIJ’s China Targets investigation, which revealed how Beijing continues to use surveillance, hacking and threats against Chinese and Hong Kong dissidents, Uyghur and Tibetan advocates and their families to quash any criticism of the regime abroad.
ARTICLE 19, and the undersigned human rights organistions, call on the Egyptian government to immediately end its campaign of transnational repression targeting exiled Egyptian journalists. We specifically urge the government to respond to the UN report detailing the harassment and surveillance of Egyptian investigative journalist Basma Mostafa, currently residing in Germany. We further urge German authorities to ensure her safety and uphold their international obligations to protect freedom of expression.
Despite seeking safety in exile, Mostafa continues to face threats, surveillance, harassment, and online gender-based violence across multiple countries—including Germany, Switzerland, Kenya, and Lebanon—simply for doing her work. These acts are detailed in a joint communication from UN Special Rapporteurs (AL EGY 6/2024), which documents a disturbing pattern of cross-border intimidation carried out by or with the acquiescence of Egyptian authorities.
Germany’s former Human Rights Commissioner, Luise Amtsberg, has publicly condemned Egypt’s transnational repression and urged the Egyptian government to address findings outlined in the UN report. The Egyptian authorities have yet to issue an official response. The silence is telling.
Her case is not isolated; Egypt is among the world’s top perpetrators of transnational repression, using tactics such as arresting journalists’ family members, blocking access to exile-based media, targeting journalists with spyware, and denying consular services and identity documents for those living abroad and their family members, including children. In another notable case, a Berlin court convicted a man for charges related to spying for the Egyptian regime, including on Egyptian exiles while working in the press office of former Chancellor Angela Merkel, where he had access to data on exiled Egyptian journalists accredited with the Federal Press Office.
We call on the Egyptian authorities to immediately respond to UN communication AL EGY 6/2024 and end all forms of transnational repression against Egyptian journalists and critics in exile. Egypt must stop targeting journalists abroad and ensure independent, transparent investigations to hold perpetrators accountable.
We also urge the German authorities to protect exiled journalists and critics from intimidation tactics by foreign governments and those working on their behalf, in line with their International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) obligations and the 2023 Declaration of Principles to Combat Transnational Repression. Germany must provide full protection to Basma Mostafa, ensure accountability for her assault, investigate all attacks, harassment, and surveillance on its soil, and use its influence to demand that Egypt end its campaign of transnational repression.
Signed by:
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ARTICLE 19
Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS)
Cartoonists Rights
Committee for Justice (CFJ)
Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)
Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms (ECRF)
Egyptian Front for Human Rights (EFHR)
Egyptian Human Rights Forum (EHRF)
EuroMed Rights
EuroMed Rights Network
Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR)
HuMENA for Human Rights and Civic Engagement
Human Rights Watch
International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), within the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders
International Service for Human Rights (ISHR)
Intersection Association for Rights and Freedoms
Law and Democracy Support Foundation (LDSF)
MENA Rights Group
Middle East Democracy Center (MEDC)
PEN America
PEN Berlin
Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights
Samir Kassir Foundation (SKF)
The Regional Coalition for Women Human Rights Defenders in South West Asia and North Africa (WHRDMENA)
World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), within the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders
Hans Thoolen on Human Rights Defenders and their awards 