Preventing Transnational Repression: the case of the Uyghur diaspora

Preventing Transnational Repression: the case of the Uyghur diaspora

By David Tobin and Nyrola Elimä

Open Access Download (August 2025)

Abstract

Transnational repression is increasingly used by authoritarian states to coerce or intimidate their critics and diaspora groups beyond their borders. China’s repression of the Uyghur and Kazakh diasporas are key facets of its domestic “ethnic policy” in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and its “soft power” drives outside China that present authoritarianism as a benevolent alternative to democracy. This report explores how civil society organisations and governments respond to transnational repression by analysing its impact and the prevention strategies used in Uyghur and Kazakh diaspora communities. The analysis asks how to prevent and mitigate TNR using original fieldwork, including interviews with over 30 organisations in Türkiye, Kazakhstan, and the U.K., which operate within different legal systems and represent different communities with  different needs. What does best practice look like for Uyghur and Kazakh-focused organisations in preventing transnational repression? The report finds that civil society organisations working on issues related to Uyghurs face intensifying transnational repression and develop their own mitigation tactics, including consulting cybersecurity professionals, engaging with local authorities, and avoiding posting personal information online. These tactics can be more effective as a prevention strategy with increased co-ordination of knowledge-sharing, training, and monitoring.

Keywords: transnational repression, authoritarianism, human rights, security, China, Xinjiang, Uyghurs, Turkey, Kazakhstan, U.K., ethnicity, policy.