Description
Many targets of transnational repression either fear seeking help or find an absence of suitable domestic avenues for assistance. When they do seek help, domestic institutions may lack awareness, capacity and understanding of the human rights responsibilities on the state. Examining this complex and growing problem through the lens of states’ responsibility to respect, protect and fulfil the rights of all individuals on their territory, this article proposes a new institutional response mechanism to address these challenges. Beginning by identifying a range of methods currently used to target individuals, we identify the relevant human rights standards, state responsibilities, and critically assesses recent steps taken by national governments in the US and UK to address particular aspects of transnational repression. We then highlight the unfulfilled potential for National Human Rights Institutions, working domestically and through their transnational networks, to identify and monitor violations, support targeted individuals in the exercise of their rights, help state bureaucracies understand relevant obligations, and develop mechanisms by which to penalise perpetrators and enable targets to seek redress.
