[House Hearing, 118 Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


                   SAFEGUARDING DISSIDENT VOICES: ADDRESSING 
                     TRANSNATIONAL REPRESSION THREATS TO 
                             HOMELAND SECURITY

=======================================================================

                                HEARING

                              BEFORE THE

                            SUBCOMMITTEE ON
                           COUNTERTERRORISM,
                          LAW ENFORCEMENT, AND
                              INTELLIGENC
                              
                                OF THE

                     COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                    ONE HUNDRED EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS

                             SECOND SESSION

                               __________

                            JANUARY 17, 2024

                               __________

                           Serial No. 118-49

                               __________

       Printed for the use of the Committee on Homeland Security
                                     
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        Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.govinfo.gov

                               __________
                               
                    U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE                    
57-094 PDF                  WASHINGTON : 2024                    
          
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------                                   
                    COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY

                 Mark E. Green, MD, Tennessee, Chairman
Michael T. McCaul, Texas             Bennie G. Thompson, Mississippi, 
Clay Higgins, Louisiana                  Ranking Member
Michael Guest, Mississippi           Sheila Jackson Lee, Texas
Dan Bishop, North Carolina           Donald M. Payne, Jr., New Jersey
Carlos A. Gimenez, Florida           Eric Swalwell, California
August Pfluger, Texas                J. Luis Correa, California
Andrew R. Garbarino, New York        Troy A. Carter, Louisiana
Marjorie Taylor Greene, Georgia      Shri Thanedar, Michigan
Tony Gonzales, Texas                 Seth Magaziner, Rhode Island
Nick LaLota, New York                Glenn Ivey, Maryland
Mike Ezell, Mississippi              Daniel S. Goldman, New York
Anthony D'Esposito, New York         Robert Garcia, California
Laurel M. Lee, Florida               Delia C. Ramirez, Illinois
Morgan Luttrell, Texas               Robert Menendez, New Jersey
Dale W. Strong, Alabama              Yvette D. Clarke, New York
Josh Brecheen, Oklahoma              Dina Titus, Nevada
Elijah Crane, Arizona
                      Stephen Siao, Staff Director
                  Hope Goins, Minority Staff Director
                       Sean Corcoran, Chief Clerk
                                 
                                 ------                                

  SUBCOMMITTEE ON COUNTERTERRORISM, LAW ENFORCEMENT, AND INTELLIGENCE

                    August Pfluger, Texas, Chairman
Dan Bishop, North Carolina           Seth Magaziner, Rhode Island, 
Tony Gonzales, Texas                     Ranking Member
Anthony D'Esposito, New York         J. Luis Correa, California
Elijah Crane, Arizona                Daniel S. Goldman, New York
Mark E. Green, MD, Tennessee (ex     Dina Titus, Nevada
    officio)                         Bennie G. Thompson, Mississippi 
                                         (ex officio)
               Michael Koren, Subcommittee Staff Director
          Brittany Carr, Minority Subcommittee Staff Director
                            
                            C O N T E N T S

                              ----------                              
                                                                   Page

                               Statements

The Honorable August Pfluger, a Representative in Congress From 
  the State of Texas, and Chairman, Subcommittee on 
  Counterterrorism, Law Enforcement, and Intelligence:
  Oral Statement.................................................     1
  Prepared Statement.............................................     3
The Honorable Seth Magaziner, a Representative in Congress From 
  the State of Rhode Island, and Ranking Member, Subcommittee on 
  Counterterrorism, Law Enforcement, and Intelligence:
  Oral Statement.................................................     4
  Prepared Statement.............................................     5
The Honorable Bennie G. Thompson, a Representative in Congress 
  From the State of Mississippi, and Ranking Member, Committee on 
  Homeland Security:
  Prepared Statement.............................................     6

                               Witnesses

Ms. Annie Wilcox Boyajian, Vice President for Policy and 
  Advocacy, Freedom House:
  Oral Statement.................................................     8
  Prepared Statement.............................................    10
Mr. Bob Fu, Founder and President, China Aid Association Inc.:
  Oral Statement.................................................    14
  Prepared Statement.............................................    16
Mr. Enes Kanter Freedom, Private Citizen:
  Oral Statement.................................................    22
  Prepared Statement.............................................    25
Ms. Gissou Nia, Director of the Strategic Litigation Project, 
  Atlantic Council:
  Oral Statement.................................................    26
  Prepared Statement.............................................    27

                             For the Record

The Honorable August Pfluger, a Representative in Congress From 
  the State of Texas, and Chairman, Subcommittee on 
  Counterterrorism, Law Enforcement, and Intelligence:
  Statement of The Sikh Coalition................................    30
The Honorable Sheila Jackson Lee, a Representative in Congress 
  From the State of Texas:
  Letter.........................................................    66

 
  SAFEGUARDING DISSIDENT VOICES: ADDRESSING TRANSNATIONAL REPRESSION 
                      THREATS TO HOMELAND SECURITY

                              ----------                              


                      Wednesday, January 17, 2024

             U.S. House of Representatives,
                    Committee on Homeland Security,
                         Subcommittee on Counterterrorism, 
                         Law Enforcement, and Intelligence,
                                                    Washington, DC.
    The subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 2:19 p.m., in 
room 310, Cannon House Office Building, Hon. August Pfluger 
(Chairman of the subcommittee) presiding.
    Present: Representatives Pfluger, Bishop, D'Esposito, 
Crane, Magaziner, Goldman, Correa, Titus, and Jackson Lee.
    Mr. Pfluger. I call to order the Homeland Security 
Subcommittee on Counterterrorism, Law Enforcement, and 
Intelligence. Without objection, the subcommittee may recess at 
any point.
    The purpose of this hearing is to receive testimony from a 
nongovernmental panel of victims and expert witnesses to 
examine the growing threat of transnational repression and the 
implications these acts have on homeland security.
    I now recognize myself for an opening statement.
    Good afternoon. Welcome to the Subcommittee on 
Counterterrorism, Law Enforcement, and Intelligence. We are 
holding this important hearing to examine and discuss the 
rising threats posed by foreign nations that engage in hostile 
acts known as transnational repression, a term that may not be 
well-known but absolutely should be.
    Transnational repression is the act of a foreign government 
on an individual or community in another country through 
violence, assassinations, the threat of violence, digital 
threats, family intimidation, smear campaigns or the 
manipulation of legal processes to harass and intimidate 
individuals that are critical of the Nation acting as the 
aggressor.
    Simply put, transnational repression is when authoritarian 
regimes, like the Chinese Communist Party or Iran, or others, 
go beyond their borders to harass and silence their citizens 
and others who defend human rights and advocate for free 
speech. Transnational repression is not exclusive to any 
specific country. We've seen these oppressive acts employed by 
nations that are hostile to the United States and those who our 
Nation views as strategic partners and allies as well. 
Regardless of our Nation's relationship with the perpetrating 
nation, using violence or harassment to silence dissident 
voices in our Nation is illegal and should not be tolerated by 
our government.
    Although this issue is not new, the threat of transnational 
repression has grown significantly in the last few years. Some 
specific events include, in January 2023, the Department of 
Justice announced charges on individuals associated with 
Eastern Europe transnational criminal organizations who were 
directed by Iran to carry out an assassination plot on a U.S. 
citizen who spoke out against the regime's human right abuses.
    In April 2023, 40 officers of China's National Police were 
charged by the Department of Justice in transnational 
repression schemes targeting U.S. citizens and lawful permanent 
residents, including operating an illegal police station in 
lower Manhattan.
    In November 2023, the DOJ charged an official within the 
Indian Government, Nikhil Gupta, with murder-for-hire charges 
in connection with a foiled assassination plot of a U.S. 
citizen who was a prominent Sikh activist in New York City. 
These are just a few of the many acts of transnational 
repression that have taken place on U.S. soil in the past few 
years.
    Foreign governments that engage in transnational repression 
continue to utilize new and innovative tactics to silence 
victims, such as using U.S.-based individuals and groups to 
unwittingly help these foreign governments commit acts of 
transnational repression.
    These actions have included hiring U.S.-based private 
investigators, co-opting law enforcement officers or employees 
of social media companies, and recruiting members of the local 
diaspora communities. Transnational repression will continue to 
be used as a tool to silence views that run afoul to those of 
autocratic governments if all branches of our government do not 
step up and work to solve this challenge.
    We must find a way to effectively deter nation-states from 
engaging in transnational repression. I hope that today's 
testimony will inspire Members of this subcommittee to take 
action and work in a bipartisan manner to find solutions. The 
United States must remain a bastion for every person to freely 
express their views without fear of persecution from foreign 
actors.
    As Chairman of this subcommittee, I am committed to working 
with anyone to uphold that commitment. This committee, in fact, 
has led multiple initiatives to conduct vigorous oversight on 
the Government's actions in combating transnational repression. 
Last year, the committee held a hearing with a Government panel 
that examined the threats posed by the CCP to the homeland. In 
that hearing, the witnesses discussed how the CCP's acts of 
transnational repression, including the use of illegal police 
stations across the country, negatively impacted us.
    The committee has also heard from Masih Alinejad about her 
experience being targeted by the Iranian regime. Last, the 
committee recently sent a letter to Secretary Mayorkas and FBI 
Director Wray highlighting the threats posed by transnational 
repression and requesting a Classified briefing to discuss the 
threat. These are just some of the many on-going efforts this 
committee has taken to ensure that we effectively combat this 
threat.
    I'm delighted to have an esteemed panel join us here today 
to discuss this pressing national security threat. We will hear 
perspectives from two victims of transnational repression, and 
two different experts that are working to address this issue as 
well. I know all their insight will have a profound impact on 
this committee, and I look forward to today's conversation, and 
look forward to working with Ranking Member Magaziner and other 
Members of this committee on this issue.
    [The statement of Chairman Pfluger follows:]
                  Statement of Chairman August Pfluger
                            January 17, 2024
    Good afternoon, and welcome to the Subcommittee on 
Counterterrorism, Law Enforcement, and Intelligence.
    We are holding this important hearing to examine and discuss the 
rising threats posed by foreign nations that engage in hostile acts 
known as transnational repression--a term that may not be well-known 
but absolutely should be.
    Transnational repression is the act of a foreign government 
targeting an individual or community in another country and using 
violence, assassinations, the threat of violence, digital threats, 
family intimidation, smear campaigns, or the manipulation of legal 
processes to harass and intimidate individuals that are critical of the 
Nation acting as the aggressor.
    Simply put, transnational repression is when authoritarian regimes 
like the Chinese Communist Party or Iran or others go beyond their 
borders to harass and silence their citizens and others who defend 
human rights and advocate for free speech.
    Transnational repression is not exclusive to any specific country.
    We have seen these oppressive tactics employed by nations that are 
hostile to the United States, and those who our Nation views as 
strategic partners and allies.
    Regardless of our Nation's relationship with the perpetrating 
nation, using violence or harassment to silence dissident voices in our 
Nation is illegal and should not be tolerated by our Government.
    Although this issue is not new, the threat of transnational 
repression has grown significantly in the last few years.
    Specific events include:
   In 2016, individuals associated with the Turkish government 
        were charged with and convicted of crimes related to acting as 
        covert agents to negatively influence U.S. politicians and the 
        public's opinion of Turkish dissident, Fethullah Gulen.
   In January 2023, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced 
        charges on individuals associated with Eastern European 
        transnational criminal organizations who were directed by Iran 
        to carry out an assassination plot on a U.S. citizen who spoke 
        out against the regime's human rights abuses.
   In April 2023, 40 officers of China's National Police were 
        charged by the Department of Justice in transnational 
        repression schemes targeting U.S. citizens and lawful permanent 
        residents, including operating an illegal police station in 
        lower Manhattan.
   In November 2023, the DOJ charged official within the Indian 
        government, Nikhil Gupta, with murder-for-hire charges in 
        connection with a foiled assassination plot of a U.S. citizen 
        who is a prominent Sikh activist in New York City.
    These are just a few of the many acts of transnational repression 
that have taken place on U.S. soil in the last few years.
    Foreign governments that engage in transnational repression 
continue to utilize new and innovative tactics to silence victims, such 
as using U.S.-based individuals and groups to unwittingly help these 
foreign government commit acts of transnational repression.
    These actions have included hiring U.S.-based private 
investigators, co-opting law enforcement officers or employees of 
social media companies, and recruiting members of local diaspora 
communities.
    Transnational repression will continue to be used as a tool to 
silence views that run afoul to those of autocratic governments if all 
branches of our Government do not step up and work to solve this 
challenge.
    We must find a way to effectively deter nation-states from engaging 
in transnational repression. I hope that today's testimony will inspire 
Members of this subcommittee to take action and work in a bipartisan 
manner to find solutions.
    The United States must remain a bastion for every person to freely 
express their views without fear of persecution from foreign actors. As 
Chairman of this subcommittee, I am committed to working with anyone to 
uphold that commitment.
    This committee has led multiple initiatives to conduct vigorous 
oversight on the Government's actions in combatting transnational 
repression.
    Last year, the committee held a hearing with a Government panel 
that examined the threats posed by the CCP to the homeland. In that 
hearing, the witnesses discussed how the CCP's acts of transnational 
repression, including the use of illegal police stations across the 
country.
    The committee has also heard from Masih Alinejad about her 
experience being targeted by the Iranian regime.
    Last, the committee recently sent a letter to Secretary Mayorkas 
and Director Wray highlighting the threats posed by transnational 
repression and requesting a Classified briefing to discuss the threat.
    These are just some of the many on-going efforts this committee has 
taken to ensure that we effectively combat this threat.
    I am delighted to have an esteemed panel join us today to discuss 
this pressing national security threat.
    We will hear perspectives from two victims of transnational 
repression and two different experts that are working to address this 
issue. I know all their insight will have a profound impact on this 
committee.
    I look forward to today's conversation and look forward to working 
with the Ranking Member and other Members of this committee on this 
issue.

    Mr. Pfluger. I now recognize Ranking Member, the gentleman 
from Rhode Island, Mr. Magaziner, for his opening statement.
    Mr. Magaziner. Thank you, Chairman Pfluger, for calling 
this important hearing.
    To our distinguished panel of witnesses, I recognize it 
takes incredible courage for you to come before us and speak 
out today against those who seek to silence and even kill those 
who dissent. So thank you for your willingness to share your 
experiences and your expertise with all of us.
    The purpose of today's hearing is to explore how to prevent 
and protect against nation-states' efforts to harass and 
intimidate their own citizens and critics of their government 
living in the United States.
    Foreign governments are increasingly and more aggressively 
disregarding U.S. laws to threaten, harass, surveil, stalk, and 
even plot to physically harm people in our homeland.
    At our October full committee hearing examining threats to 
the homeland posed by Iran, we heard from Ms. Masih Alinejad, 
an American-Iranian activist who had been the target of 
kidnapping and assassination plots directed by the Iranian 
regime. One month later, an unsealed Department of Justice 
indictment alleged that an Indian Government employee had 
directed a plot to murder a Sikh leader here in the United 
States. Mr. Gurpatwant Pannun.
    The plots against Ms. Alinejad and Mr. Pannun are horrific 
and unacceptable. However, they are, unfortunately, not the 
only examples of transnational repression on U.S. soil. 
Transnational repression can involve physical violence, as well 
as coercing someone to return to their home country, or 
threatening and detaining family members back home.
    Religious and ethnic minority groups, like Muslims, Sikhs, 
and Uyghurs, face threats from the governments of India and 
China respectively, while the government of Turkiye practiced 
enforced disappearances of its political and religious 
opponents living abroad. Political and human rights activists 
and journalists face smear campaigns and other attacks by 
tyrannical regimes seeking to squash opposition and prevent 
truthful reporting.
    Intimidation and violence toward any community in the 
United States by any nation-state is intolerable and 
unacceptable. That is why I was pleased to see President Biden 
directly address the Pannun murder plot by the Indian 
Government at the G20 Summit with Prime Minister Modi in 
September and to see the administration taking action to combat 
transnational repression, including arresting and prosecuting 
many individuals in the United States for conspiring to act as 
agents of the Chinese Communist Party in connection with 
operating illegal police stations in the United States to 
monitor and intimidate those dissidents who are critical of the 
CCP.
    The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency 
launched its high-risk community protection initiative to 
combat digital transnational repression, and the State and 
Treasury Departments are sanctioning perpetrators of 
transnational repression for their involvement in repressive 
acts against individuals residing in the United States.
    We must remain focused on preserving America's reputation 
as the beacon of hope and freedom to the world, and condemn all 
forms of transnational repression. Holding perpetrators 
accountable is of strategic importance, as it ensures that the 
United States stays true to our values, ensures the safety of 
all U.S. persons, and protects the sovereignty and security of 
our homeland.
    So I'm looking forward to today's bipartisan discussion, 
and am particularly eager to hear from our witnesses how the 
U.S. Government can do more to deter and mitigate transnational 
repression and what we can do in Congress, working together on 
a bipartisan basis toward that end.
    So thank you again, Mr. Chairman. I yield back.
    [The statement of Ranking Member Magaziner follows:]
               Statement of Ranking Member Seth Magaziner
                            January 17, 2024
    To our distinguished panel of witnesses, I recognize that it takes 
incredible courage for you to come before us and speak out against 
governments who seek to silence and even kill those who dissent. So, 
thank you for your willingness to share your experiences and expertise 
with us today.
    The purpose of today's hearing is to explore how to prevent and 
protect against nation-states' efforts to harass and intimidate their 
own citizens and critics of their government living in the United 
States. Foreign governments are increasingly and more aggressively 
disregarding U.S. laws to threaten, harass, surveil, stalk, and even 
plot to physically harm people in our homeland.
    At our October full committee hearing examining threats to the 
homeland posed by Iran, we heard from Ms. Masih Alinejad, an Iranian-
American activist who has been the target of kidnapping and 
assassination plots directed by the Iranian regime. One month later, an 
unsealed DOJ indictment alleged that an Indian government employee had 
directed a plot to murder a Sikh leader here in the United States, Mr. 
Gurpatwant Pannun.
    The plots against Ms. Alinejad and Mr. Pannun are horrific and 
unacceptable. However, they are unfortunately not the only examples of 
transnational repression on U.S. soil. Transnational repression can 
involve physical violence, as well as coercing someone to return to 
their home country, or threatening and detaining family members back 
home.
    Religious- or ethnic-minority groups like Muslims, Sikhs, and 
Uyghurs face threats from the governments of India and China 
respectively. While the government of Turkey practices enforced 
disappearances of its political and religious opponents living abroad. 
Political and human rights activists and journalists face smear 
campaigns and other attacks by tyrannical regimes seeking to squash 
opposition and prevent truthful reporting.
    Intimidation and violence toward any community in the United States 
by any nation-state is intolerable.
    That's why I was pleased to see President Biden directly address 
the Pannun murder plot by the Indian government at the G20 Summit in 
September with Prime Minister Modi. To see the Biden administration 
take action to combat transnational repression including:
   arresting and prosecuting many individuals in the United 
        States for conspiring to act as agents of the Chinese Communist 
        Party in connection with operating illegal police stations in 
        the United States to monitor and intimidate dissidents and 
        those critical of the CCP.
   The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency 
        launched its High-Risk Community Protection initiative to 
        combat digital transnational repression.
   And, the State and Treasury departments sanctioning 
        perpetrators of transnational repression for their involvement 
        in repressive acts against individuals residing in the United 
        States.
    We must remain focused on preserving America's reputation as the 
beacon of hope and freedom to the world, and condemn all forms of 
transnational repression. Holding perpetrators accountable is of 
strategic importance as it ensures America stays true to its values, 
ensures the safety of all U.S.-based persons, and protects the 
sovereignty and security of our homeland.
    I am looking forward to today's bipartisan discussion and am 
particularly eager to hear how the U.S. Government can leverage 
bilateral partnerships to deter and mitigate transnational repression.

    Mr. Pfluger. Thank you, Ranking Member.
    Other Members of the committee are reminded that opening 
statements may be submitted for the record.
    [The statement of Ranking Member Thompson follows:]
             Statement of Ranking Member Bennie G. Thompson
                            January 17, 2024
    Transnational repression is a relatively new term being attached to 
a substantial--but under-reported--common global practice. 
Transnational repression is an extremely dangerous and serious threat 
to national security, diaspora, and exiled communities.
    Common practices of transnational repression are slander and libel 
to attack human rights defenders, journalists, and activists. 
Transnational repressors also resort to threatening family members of 
the dissidents who still live in the country of origin. The 
perpetrators will even go as far as physically assaulting or killing 
their targets to send a message to the masses.
    These intimidation methods act to deter and silence the diaspora 
communities from speaking out against the injustices taking place in 
their homelands. The ultimate goal of transnational repression is to 
end the targeted individuals' desire for activism all together. 
Transnational repression is not only related to activism against 
transgressions of government. It is simultaneously connected to working 
to asphyxiate the desire for freedom among ethnic and religious 
minority groups.
    I have long been an advocate for people of all backgrounds to be 
able to exercise religious freedom in their preferred houses of worship 
without fear of harm or persecution. In recent years, we have seen an 
increase in threats of violence toward houses of worship. As a 
democratic nation that prides itself as being the land of the free, it 
is paramount that the United States provide safety to all people within 
its borders regardless of ethnic or religious background.
    In 2019, I sponsored the Securing American Nonprofit Organizations 
Against Terrorism Act. In 2022, this Act authorized the Nonprofit 
Security Grant Program (NSGP) Improvement Act. Through the Department 
of Homeland Security, the NSGP provides funding for physical security 
enhancements and other security-related activities for eligible 
nonprofit organizations, which includes houses of worship, that are at 
high risk of a terrorist attack or threats. While bolstering resources 
under the NSGP is a critical piece to addressing the threat of 
transnational repression, as transnational repression is proving to be 
much more broad and far-reaching than previously believed, more must be 
done.
    In the past, transnational repressive activities have been 
associated with authoritarian and adversarial nations such as China, 
Iran, and Russia. Recently, it has become more apparent that diaspora 
communities from democratic nations and allies of the United States 
also experience repression from their countries of origin. More, 
repressive activities are now much more expansive with governments' use 
of modern technology, thereby increasing the ability for transnational 
repression to ``hide in plain sight.'' The fact that perpetrators of 
transnational repression are also allies to the United States and that 
the internet has made it more convenient for perpetrators to reach 
across borders and harass and intimidate individuals, presents unique 
challenges to identifying viable mechanisms to hold foreign nations 
accountable.
    It is my hope that the testimony we receive today will illuminate 
some potential ways we can address the very serious and evolving threat 
of transnational repression.

    Mr. Pfluger. I am pleased to have a distinguished panel of 
witnesses before us today on this very important topic, and I 
now ask that our witnesses rise and please raise your right 
hand.
    Do you solemnly swear that the testimony you will give 
before the Committee on Homeland Security of the U.S. House of 
Representatives will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing 
but the truth, so help you God?
    Ms. Boyajian. I do.
    Mr. Fu. I do.
    Mr. Freedom. I do.
    Ms. Nia. I do.
    Mr. Pfluger. Thank you.
    Let the record reflect that the witnesses have answered in 
the affirmative.
    I'd now like to formally introduce our witnesses. First, 
I'd like to introduce Ms. Annie Wilcox Boyajian, who serves as 
the vice president of policy and advocacy at Freedom House, and 
serves as the Mark Palmer Distinguished Fellow.
    Freedom House is a nonprofit, nonpartisan 501(C)(3) 
organization that works to expand and defend freedom world-
wide. In her role, she oversees Freedom House's policy and 
advocacy work, leading engagement with the U.S. Government in 
collaboration with American human rights groups.
    Ms. Boyajian has testified before the U.S. Congress, the 
Canadian Parliament, and Taiwan's Legislative Yuan, and 
regularly advises policy makers and staff. We look forward to 
hearing from you.
    Next, I'd like to welcome my constituent from Midland, 
Texas, Dr. Bob Fu. Dr. Fu is a pastor and the president of 
China Aid. He has admirably dedicated his life to helping those 
escaping religious persecution in the People's Republic of 
China.
    As president of China Aid, Dr. Fu has testified numerous 
times before domestic and international governmental bodies. 
Dr. Fu has been targeted a multitude of times by the CCP for 
his work. He, too, will share his horrifying experiences that 
he has had as a victim of transnational repression.
    Dr. Fu, thank you for being here.
    I would now like to introduce Mr. Enes Kanter Freedom, a 
human rights activist, a former NBA star, and a Nobel Peace 
Prize nominee.
    Due to his outspoken views and his on-going work on human 
rights abuses in China, Turkiye, and other parts of the world, 
Mr. Freedom's career in the NBA was derailed by the league's 
financial decision to pander to the Chinese Communist Party so 
that it could continue to broadcast games in the PRC.
    Over the course of the last 10 years, Mr. Freedom has also 
been targeted numerous times by the Turkish Government. He was 
nearly kidnapped in Sri Lanka. His family has been subjected to 
on-going scrutiny and detention by the Turkish Government, and 
he has received countless death threats and has had multiple 
INTERPOL Red Notices issued against him, which is a request to 
law enforcement around the world to locate and provisionally 
arrest a person pending extradition, surrender, or a related 
legal action.
    In addition to that harassment, the CCP has led an effort 
to silence him. Today, he will share his experience of being a 
victim of transnational repression.
    Last, we welcome Ms. Gissou Nia, who serves as the director 
of the Strategic Litigation Project at the Atlantic Council. 
The Strategic Litigation Project works on prevention and 
accountability efforts for atrocity crimes, human rights 
violations, terrorism and corruption offenses around the world.
    She also serves as board chair of the Iran Human Rights 
Documentation Center, where she is helping develop and oversee 
the group's human rights advocacy and legal programs. The 
Center seeks to promote accountability, respect for human 
rights, and the rule of law in Iran.
    Ms. Nia started her career in The Hague, where she worked 
on war crimes and crimes against humanity trials at the 
International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and 
International Criminal Court. She was previously deputy 
director of the Center for Human Rights in Iran.
    Again, I'd like to thank all of our witnesses for joining 
us.
    I now recognize Ms. Boyajian for your opening statement. If 
you guys don't mind, we'll keep these to 5 minutes, as the 
Members do have questions. Thank you.

 STATEMENT OF ANNIE WILCOX BOYAJIAN, VICE PRESIDENT FOR POLICY 
                  AND ADVOCACY, FREEDOM HOUSE

    Ms. Boyajian. Chairman Pfluger, Ranking Member Magaziner, 
and Members of the subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity 
to testify. As you have so eloquently described, transnational 
repression occurs when States reach across borders to silence 
dissent among exiles and diasporas, presenting a direct threat 
to security and rights, and a challenge for both domestic and 
international policy.
    From 2014 through 2022, Freedom House documented 854 
instances of direct physical transnational repression around 
the world. This includes things like assassinations, 
kidnappings, assaults, detentions, deportations. These acts 
were committed by 38 governments in 91 countries. These numbers 
are likely only the tip of the iceberg when you factor in 
indirect tactics. That's things like surveillance, harassment, 
use of spyware, threats against family members, which is known 
as coercion by proxy.
    The top 10 perpetrators of transnational repression 
globally are China, Turkiye, Tajikistan, Egypt, Russia, 
Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Iran, Belarus, and Rwanda. Together, 
these 10 countries are responsible for 80 percent of the cases 
in our database. China, which conducts the most comprehensive 
and sophisticated campaign, is responsible for 30 percent of 
the cases in our database.
    In the United States, we are generally better protected 
from transnational repression than in many other places, due to 
our strong rule of law and robust security sector, but many 
communities in the United States face serious and persistent 
threats, as my fellow witnesses will tell you first-hand today.
    Many are surveilled, harassed, or have family members who 
are threatened. Some recent egregious examples, some of which 
were already mentioned, include an attempted kidnapping and 
then attempted assassination against an Iranian women's rights 
activist.
    Last November, peaceful demonstrators were physically 
assaulted in San Francisco during the APEC Summit. This is 
American citizens and residents who were roughed up for 
exercising their free speech rights, protesting human rights 
abuses in China. Later that same month, Federal authorities 
indicted and arrested an Indian national for alleged conspiracy 
to murder a Sikh activist based in Queens.
    In addition to threats from China, Iran, and India, there 
are substantial reasons to be concerned about threats toward 
U.S. persons originating from an even broader set of countries. 
This includes Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE, Turkiye, Russia, 
Rwanda, Ethiopia, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Bangladesh.
    One way transnational repression manifests in the United 
States is through the manipulation or misuse of our own 
institutions. This can occur through INTERPOL abuse, which is 
when countries misuse INTERPOL's notification systems to have 
someone detained on spurious charges. Similarly, foreign 
intelligence agencies sometimes provide false information for 
our asylum and immigration officials, which can result in the 
deportation of individuals who have sought shelter in the 
United States.
    There has been strong bipartisan interest in addressing 
this issue. The Biden administration has made countering 
transnational repression a priority across agencies, and we are 
pleased to see generally strong interagency coordination and, 
as we understand it, increasing engagement between the 
Executive branch and the Hill, which are critical if we're 
going to effectively address this. There is also legislation 
pending in Congress.
    But additional action is urgently needed. For too long, 
democracies have missed or allowed the actions of authoritarian 
countries inside our borders, and this has emboldened states to 
act without fear of consequences.
    To address this threat, Congress should codify a definition 
of transnational repression, and ensure the United States has 
the necessary legal authorities to sufficiently address the 
threat and support those who are targeted.
    U.S. law does not currently include a definition, which we 
can talk about more during Q&A. There are two proposals pending 
in Congress that would address this. One is the Transnational 
Repression Policy Act, which directs the creation of a 
strategy, training, and sanctions; and the Stop Transnational 
Repression Act, which would create criminal penalties. The 
subject matter of those bills extends beyond the jurisdiction 
of this committee, but we do urge Members to consider 
cosponsoring.
    Congress should also work with the Executive branch and 
with State and local officials to ensure that personnel coming 
in contact with perpetrators and victims of transnational 
repression receive the training necessary to recognize and 
respond. Many agencies do provide training, but it is not 
standardized across agencies, so there are different 
definitions and recommended actions.
    Finally, Congress should urge the Executive branch to 
review current information-sharing practices to ensure 
efficient communication within and between agencies and trusted 
partners. There is robust communication occurring, but 
challenges do remain, and this is, in part, because 
transnational repression transcends so many domestic- and 
international-facing agencies, and also law enforcement and the 
legal system need to keep a lot of information confidential.
    We do have additional recommendations that I'm happy to 
talk about further that stretch outside the jurisdiction of 
this committee, and I really look forward to your questions and 
appreciate speaking with you today.
    [The prepared statement of Ms. Boyajian follows:]
              Prepared Statement of Annie Wilcox Boyajian
                            January 17, 2024
    Chairman Pfluger, Ranking Member Magaziner, and distinguished 
Members of this subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to testify 
today. I ask that my full remarks be entered into the record.
                    transnational repression defined
    Transnational repression occurs when states reach across borders to 
silence dissent from activists, journalists, and others living in 
exile. Perpetrator states do so using intimidation and violence. This 
issue presents a direct threat to rights and security around the world, 
including here in the United States, and will require a coordinated 
response from across the U.S. Government and between the United States 
and other democratic governments.
    From 2014 through 2022, Freedom House has collected information on 
854 direct, physical incidents (assassination, kidnapping, assault, 
detention, or deportation) of transnational repression around the 
world, committed by 38 governments in 91 countries. During this time, 
13 states have engaged in assassinations abroad, and 30 have conducted 
renditions.
    These numbers are likely only the tip of the iceberg when indirect 
tactics are also factored in. Indirect tactics include the use of 
spyware, surveillance, threats sent over social media or by phone, or 
threats and violence against family members back home, which is known 
as coercion by proxy.
    According to our database, the top 10 perpetrators of transnational 
repression globally are China, Turkey, Tajikistan, Egypt, Russia, 
Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Iran, Belarus, and Rwanda. Together, these 10 
countries are responsible for 80 percent of the cases in our database. 
And China, which conducts the most comprehensive and sophisticated 
campaign of transnational repression in the world, is responsible for 
30 percent of the cases.
             transnational repression in the united states
    The United States' strong rule of law and active security sector 
lend a measure of protection against transnational repression. We know 
from our research that both are important factors in preventing 
transnational repression.
    Nonetheless, many communities in the United States face serious and 
persistent threats, as my fellow witnesses can attest to first-hand and 
as we see in recent high-profile incidents on U.S. soil.
    One of the most famous cases in the United States involves the 
Iranian regime's plot to kidnap journalist and women's rights activist 
Masih Alinejad from her home in Brooklyn. When that didn't work, Iran 
attempted an assassination plot that was thankfully also unsuccessful. 
To this day, Alinejad lives under Federal protection.
    Last November, peaceful demonstrators were physically assaulted in 
San Francisco during the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) 
Summit while protesting human rights violations by Xi Jinping and the 
ruling Chinese Communist Party.
    Later that same month, Federal authorities indicted and arrested an 
Indian national for alleged conspiracy to murder a Sikh activist based 
in Queens.
    It is common for activists we work with to receive threats over 
social media, to be surveilled or targeted for spyware, or for their 
family members back in their country of origin to be pressured, 
threatened, or even beaten up or jailed. Hong Kong-American Samuel Chu, 
who is wanted for arrest in Hong Kong due to his advocacy to the U.S. 
Congress, discovered a drone hovering outside his apartment in 
California, apparently looking in his windows with a camera.
    In addition to threats from China, Iran, and India, there are 
substantial reasons to be concerned about threats toward U.S. persons 
originating from an even broader set of countries, including Saudi 
Arabia, Egypt, the UAE, Turkey, Russia, Rwanda, Ethiopia, El Salvador, 
Nicaragua, and Bangladesh. It is notable that this list includes a 
number of countries that can be considered allies or partners of the 
United States. There are likely other countries as well that are 
surveilling and intimidating individuals in the United States which we 
have not yet documented.
    An important aspect of the threat in the United States is the 
manipulation of our own institutions. One way this can occur is through 
Interpol abuse, which occurs when a country misuses Interpol's 
notification systems to have someone detained on spurious charges. 
Interpol is now much more aware of the problem than a few years ago and 
has tried to make improvements to its internal processes, but some 
member states continue to try and abuse the system.
    We were pleased to note in September 2023 that ICE updated its 
guidance on Interpol to make this kind of abuse harder to perpetrate in 
the United States.
    Another way manipulation can occur is through foreign intelligence 
agencies providing false information for our asylum and immigration 
processes. A recent disturbing case of this was documented by the 
Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP). OCCRP 
obtained a confidential FBI memorandum concerning the case of Leopold 
Munyakazi, a Rwandan scholar who had applied for asylum, in which the 
FBI found that the U.S. examination of his asylum process was 
compromised by Rwandan intelligence. Munyakazi was nonetheless deported 
and is currently imprisoned in Rwanda.
                  recent developments and future risks
    A recent and worrying development is the extraterritorial 
repression of reporters. As the space for free media and dissent has 
closed in authoritarian countries, governments are increasingly 
reaching outward to target exiled journalists who continue to do their 
courageous work from abroad. Our new report released in December, 
titled A Light That Cannot Be Extinguished: Exiled Journalism and 
Transnational Repression, examines this issue more closely and 
describes the repressive toolkit used against target exiled journalists 
and media. At least 26 governments have targeted journalists, and 112 
of the 854 cases in our database--13 percent of all cases--involved 
journalists.
    In our report, we interviewed exiled Cambodian, Uyghur, Turkish, 
and other journalists in the United States who described the 
repercussions of transnational repression against them by the 
governments they left behind.
    Perpetrator states of transnational repression are innovating even 
as awareness of the problem in host countries grows. Moving forward, 
host governments and law enforcement must pay increasing attention to 
the role of diplomatic staff and proxy actors working on behalf of 
perpetrator states to intimidate exiles. Cases like the murder-for-hire 
scheme allegedly organized by an Indian government employee against a 
Sikh activist in New York City points to the involvement of criminal 
associates. Additionally, foreign governments, such as that of China, 
may continue to seek out private investigators to co-opt host state 
institutions and more easily reach targeted individuals.
                            progress so far
    There has been strong, bipartisan interest in addressing this issue 
here in the United States and a growing interest from democracies in 
Europe and elsewhere.
    The current administration has made addressing transnational 
repression a priority across agencies, with attention given by the 
National Security Council. We are pleased to see generally strong 
interagency coordination, and, as we understand it, increasing 
engagement between the Executive branch and the Hill--something 
crucially important for an effective U.S. response.
    Among the steps taken by the U.S. Government: The Department of 
Justice has been investigating and prosecuting a growing number of 
cases of transnational repression plotted against U.S. persons. The FBI 
has a dedicated stream of work on transnational repression, including a 
public web page, the issuance of several unclassified 
counterintelligence bulletins for targeted communities, and the 
creation of a general threat intimidation guide that is linked on the 
transnational repression webpage and translated into over 60 languages. 
Transnational repression is also now a category that can be reported 
via the general FBI hotline. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) 
has shared information on transnational repression with DHS law 
enforcement, pursued outreach to vulnerable communities inside the 
United States, and is working on developing a strategy to protect 
faith-based communities from incidents of transnational repression. DHS 
is also working to pull together national and international engagements 
on the issue, and DHS and the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center 
(FLETC) are in conversation around what a training module could look 
like. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has 
also been focused on outreach, issuing a public fact sheet on resources 
available to protect against transnational repression. The Commerce 
Department has moved to rein in the use of American technology in the 
production of powerful commercial spyware, which is a crucial vector of 
transnational repression. The State and Treasury departments have 
sanctioned perpetrators of transnational repression. The Department of 
State has provided some training for diplomats, and State's annual 
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices include a section on 
transnational repression. They are also engaging on this topic with 
allies around the world, including through the G7 Rapid Response 
Mechanism Working Group on Transnational Repression and have helped 
coordinate emergency responses with partners when individuals have been 
targeted for transnational repression abroad.
    There are also a number of bills pending in Congress.
    These are all important steps that we and others have encouraged, 
and we applaud these efforts. But, more action is needed.
          an urgent need to act: recommendations for congress
    The impact of transnational repression on targeted individuals is 
severe. People's physical safety is endangered, their travel is 
complicated, their houses are surveilled in the United States and 
elsewhere, they are harassed on-line and off-line, and communication 
with family and friends living in the country of origin is fraught. 
Some people are cut off from their families entirely. Each individual 
incident of transnational repression produces ripple effects throughout 
the community, fostering an atmosphere of fear and suspicion among 
neighbors and compatriots.
    For too long, democracies have missed or allowed the actions of 
authoritarian countries inside their borders. Such a pattern of 
impunity has emboldened states to act abroad without fear of 
consequences. Would the government of India have dared to target 
individuals in Canada and the United States if the brutal murder of 
Jamal Khashoggi had been met with more forceful accountability measures 
for each and every Saudi official involved in his death?
    There are a number of measures Congress can take to limit the 
ability of governments to engage in transitional repression on U.S. 
soil and ensure the protection of those within our borders.
    (1) Codify a definition of transnational repression in law and 
        ensure the United States has the necessary legal authorities to 
        sufficiently address the threat and support those who are 
        targeted. At present, U.S. law does not include a definition of 
        transnational repression, something that is needed to allow 
        officials to understand what transnational repression is, to 
        identify and apprehend perpetrators, and to direct their 
        agencies on reporting, training, and sufficient outreach to and 
        support for victims and potential targets. Current legislative 
        proposals include the Transnational Repression Policy Act (H.R. 
        3654/S. 831), which would direct the creation of a strategy to 
        address transnational repression, require training for certain 
        officials, and impose sanctions on perpetrators, and the Stop 
        Transnational Repression Act (H.R. 5907), which would provide 
        criminal penalties for transnational repression. Though the 
        subject matter of these bills extends beyond the jurisdiction 
        of this subcommittee, we urge Members to consider cosponsoring.
    (2) Work with the Executive branch and with State and local 
        officials to ensure that personnel coming in contact with 
        perpetrators and victims of transnational repression receive 
        the training necessary to recognize and respond to the threat 
        and assist victims. Several agencies and bureaus are providing 
        training for employees. But, trainings are not yet routinized 
        or mandated for all officials or employees who may come in 
        contact with perpetrators or victims. There is no standardized 
        curriculum shared across agencies and often not even a 
        standardized set of trainings for each relevant employee within 
        an agency. Definitions, content, and recommended actions vary. 
        It is important that U.S. agencies establish clear training 
        materials and ensure regular training throughout the career of 
        personnel who may come in contact with perpetrators or victims. 
        Establishing a training module for those who go through FLETC 
        is one potential way to provide standardized trainings for a 
        large number of relevant officials.
    Whenever possible, Federal agencies should also provide training to 
        State and local officials they may partner with on 
        transnational repression issues. FLETC offers training for 
        State, local, campus, Tribal, and territorial law enforcement 
        agencies and could potentially incorporate transnational 
        repression into those trainings. The Homeland Security 
        Investigations-led Border Security Enforcement Taskforce (BEST) 
        is another example of Federal and local officials working 
        together to address transnational threats. It is critically 
        important those involved with the taskforce receive training to 
        understand the threat of transnational repression and the 
        profile of perpetrators and victims, so they can apprehend 
        perpetrators and ensure they are not undertaking enforcement 
        actions that will lead to the deportation of individuals who 
        are under threat from and being targeted by their home 
        countries.
    (3) Review current information-sharing practices to ensure 
        efficient communication within and between agencies and with 
        trusted partners and allies. It appears that among personnel 
        tasked with tracking and responding to transnational repression 
        there is a tremendous amount of on-going communication across 
        the Federal Government, but challenges remain.
    Because the cross-cutting nature of transnational repression 
transcends the jurisdictions of both domestically- and internationally-
focused agencies and because law enforcement and those in the judicial 
system are often unable to share information due to the confidential 
nature of investigations and court proceedings, it is possible that 
information important to know across agencies or between the United 
States and partners is not being communicated. For example, when 
Federal, State, or local law enforcement suspect an individual is 
engaging in transnational repression in the United States is that 
information communicated to other law enforcement in the United States 
or abroad who may also encounter these individuals? Are potentially 
targeted communities notified? When individuals are convicted of 
engaging in transnational repression are their names shared with the 
State and Treasury Departments and with trusted partner governments for 
the consideration of potential transnational repression-related 
sanctions?
    A review of current procedures could help identify best practices, 
gaps, and whether there are ways to maximize efficiency and minimize 
duplication of work.
    Resourcing may present another challenge to the effective sharing 
of information, as the number of personnel assigned to handle 
transnational repression is fairly low. At DHS specifically, Congress 
should work with agency leadership to determine whether DHS and its 
component agencies have sufficient resourcing to address transnational 
repression, providing scaled-up resources as necessary.
    Freedom House has a number of other recommendations that stretch 
outside the jurisdiction of this subcommittee that I am happy to 
elaborate on during the Q&A. These include rapidly processing the 
pending asylum and immigration applications of individuals at risk of 
transnational repression, including the applications of hundreds of 
Uyghurs whose cases remain pending; ensuring the United States has 
short- and long-term visa options available to those needing to flee 
their countries of origin; imposing sanctions on perpetrators more 
effectively; withholding foreign assistance from governments that 
continually engage in transnational repression; issuing travel 
advisories for countries where transnational repression is known to 
occur; and making sure to consistently raise the issue with governments 
known to engage in transnational repression, especially if those 
governments are close partners or allies.
    Thank you. I look forward to your questions.

    Mr. Pfluger. Thank you, Ms. Boyajian.
    The Chair now recognizes Dr. Bob Fu for his 5-minute 
opening statement.

     STATEMENT OF BOB FU, FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT, CHINA AID 
                        ASSOCIATION INC.

    Mr. Fu. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and honorable Members of 
this subcommittee. I really appreciate for this opportunity to 
share with you.
    While the CCP, under Communist Party Leader Xi Jinping, has 
engaged in perhaps the worst repression against religious 
freedom, rule of law, and human rights since the Cultural 
Revolution, the repression, the transnational repression effort 
under CCP overseas has been recognized as the most systematic, 
multi-front, and multifaceted inside our Western free 
societies.
    The CCP first compulsively legalized overseas spy work for 
all the Chinese. According to this new Chinese National 
Intelligence Law passed in 2017, virtually every Chinese, 
including those who are born in the United States and overseas 
are mandated to do spy work.
    Of course, the CCP used its different pro-China 
organizations to engage these transnational activities. The 
Chinese Embassies and 150 U.S.-based Chinese student and 
scholar associations, all China Federation of Returned Overseas 
Chinese, and many other organizations have been recruited in 
engaging these repression activities. The CCP, of course, is 
directly engaging, from kidnapping to physical harassment, to 
cyber threats, to individuals and organizations alike.
    In my written testimony, I mentioned one case, Mr. Zhu 
Meng, a Joseph Zhu, who was just a worker from a Chinese house 
church in a missionary, American missionary organization based 
in Seoul, South Korea. Yet, after he was kidnapped when he 
returned to Beijing, he was sent back to China--I mean sent 
back to Seoul, South Korea, with a programmed iPad and a number 
of cash in his hand to spy this American organization in Seoul. 
Then, in early 2020, he was found hanged on a tree and died, 
and the case has still not been resolved.
    My--multiple of my staff members based in Midland, Texas, 
have been targeted over the years. Most of them are naturalized 
American citizens. When they return to China to visit their 
friends, they have to surrender their American passports to the 
Chinese national state security agents. They need to get their 
American passport, to apply for their American passport to 
travel outside town. So that is to my staff.
    In terms of to myself, I have first-hand experience. Back 
to--from September 2020, all of a sudden, my family, my home 
were being found surrounded, sometimes as many over a hundred 
Chinese thugs wearing masks and chanting ``elimination of Bob 
Fu'' every day from 9 o'clock a.m. to 4 o'clock p.m. without 
stop for 3 months. So the FBI and our local law enforcement had 
to evacuate my family out of our own house. We were exiled from 
our own home for 3 months.
    Of course, I also received multiple threats from last year, 
including text messages, including, of course, those that's 
called the swatting messages. From San Francisco--I mean, from 
Los Angeles to New York, Houston, their police stations have 
been--have received like fake bomb threats; I was booked with 
multiple luxury hotels and in my name and claiming I had bombs.
    So just a quick recommendation. No. 1, I think I would 
recommend the committee to urge the administration to restore 
the China Initiative within the Department of Justice. I think 
that has nothing to do with racial profiling or any bias or 
racist anything.
    If we recognize China, the CCP is the No. 1 transnational 
threat, as my fellow panelist Annie just mentioned, and the law 
enforcement has acknowledged, we should really restore that 
initiative.
    I also want to recommend the--both administration and the 
Congressional, we should have--should establish a National 
database to collecting these cases. I think the FBI has a 
center, but it's not enough. We should have more comprehensive 
data.
    The final recommendation is I would urge Congress to pass a 
law, legislation to ban those individuals and entities 
associated with the CCP and its foreign agents from purchasing 
real estate, and to avoid them establishing permanent bases to 
harass and engage transnational threats. Thank you.
    [The prepared statement of Dr. Fu follows:]
    [GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]    

    Mr. Pfluger. Thank you, Dr. Fu.
    The Chair now recognizes Mr. Enes Kanter Freedom for his 
opening statement of 5 minutes.

       STATEMENT OF ENES KANTER FREEDOM, PRIVATE CITIZEN

    Mr. Freedom. Thank you, Chairman Pfluger, Ranking Member 
Magaziner, and Members of the committee for giving me the 
opportunity to testify today on a very important issue of 
transnational repression.
    President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's long arm has reached tens 
of thousands of Turkish citizens abroad, while Turkiye has been 
experiencing a deepening human rights crisis since the alleged 
coup attempt in July 15, 2016.
    The Turkish Government has been carrying out an 
extraordinary campaign of transnational repression against the 
critics overseas since the failed coup.
    The State Department 2022 Country Reports on Human Rights 
Practices in Turkiye reported that the Turkish Government 
increasingly coordinated with other authoritarian states to 
forcibly transfer more than 100 Turkish nationals to Turkiye 
since the 2016 coup. More than 40 individuals were put through 
abductions, rendition, and forcible return.
    Turkiye's campaign has mostly targeted people affiliated 
with the Gulen movement. The movement is a globally-respected, 
faith-based civil society inspired by Turkish Cleric Fethullah 
Gulen, focusing on promoting interfaith dialog and education 
throughout the world.
    Fethullah Gulen has dedicated his life to interfaith and 
intercultural dialog, community service, and providing access 
to quality education. He was the first influential Muslim 
public figure to condemn the 9/11 attacks publicly, and express 
sympathy for the American people.
    His lifelong work on interfaith cooperation has earned him 
a recognition from the Christian and Jewish leaders in his 
homeland Turkiye and a personal audience with the late Pope, 
John Paul II. His efforts have also been praised by other 
global leaders who recognize his vital role in fostering mutual 
understanding and peace and his leadership in humanitarian 
initiatives.
    In 2008, Mr. Gulen was ranked among the top 100 most 
influential persons by Time Magazine and Foreign Policy and 
Prospect Magazine's joint poll of the top 100 public 
intellectuals. Many respected institutions awarded him with the 
peace awards, but Erdogan regime labeled him as a terrorist 
because Mr. Gulen was pro-democracy and in opposition to 
Erdogan's policies.
    The latest human rights report on Turkiye by the U.S. 
Department of State sets out the violation by Turkiye, 
including politically-motivated retaliation against individuals 
located outside the country and kidnappings and the transfer 
without due process of alleged members of the Gulen movement.
    Turkish intelligence abducted Selahattin Gulen, who was a 
teacher in Kenya, and Orhan Inandi, who was the chairman of a 
successful school network in Kyrgyzstan. They were abducted and 
faced torture and prison, and they published Inandi's picture 
on Turkish media with a broken arm. Most recently, they 
abducted Koray Vural, who was a businessman in Tajikistan. The 
list goes on and on.
    As the reports say, more than 100 individuals abducted by 
the Turkish intelligence face torture and prison. Turkiye is 
also pressuring other countries to close many successful 
schools' math and science academies. As the State Department 
reported on the Human Rights Country Report in 2022, the 
government applied bilateral pressure on other governments to 
secure their assistance with renditions without full due 
process and couched such requests as cooperation on countering 
terrorism. Some observers attributed the abrupt closure of a 
popular Gulen-affiliated school in Albania in September with 
pressure from the Turkish government.
    A letter sent to the Turkish government in 2022 by the 
responsible United Nations Special Rapporteur condemned the 
systematic practice of State-sponsored extraterritorial 
abduction and forcible return of Turkish citizens from many 
countries.
    Between 2014 and 2023, Freedom House recorded 112 incidents 
of physical transnational repression against journalists 
perpetrated by 26 governments. Turkiye is one of the leading 
ones.
    A Turkish journalist interviewed by Freedom House 
experienced the closure of U.S. bank accounts, likely due to 
empty terrorism accusations from the Turkish government. There 
are dozens of people who live in the United States and their 
accounts are still closed. People whose name appear on the 
published list have faced various repercussions, including the 
freezing or closure of their accounts, negative credit scores, 
and various other personal and financial difficulties in 
Western countries.
    As the reports mention, after 2016, Erdogan's regime 
started to arrest everyone who was in opposition, in 1 day, 
more than 2 million people labeled as terrorists in Turkiye. 
Then I began to call out human rights violations by President 
Erdogan in my home country. The Turkish Government asked the 
U.S. Government to extradite me back to Turkiye, canceled my 
passport, put my name on INTERPOL list, imprisoned my father, 
and set thousands of dollars' bounty on my head.
    During a 2017 visit to Indonesia, I was nearly kidnapped by 
the local government officials, with intentions to send me back 
to Turkiye. With the help of a good local officer, I was able 
to get out of that country right away. Later that year, I 
hardly escaped from police officers at the Romanian airport 
that the Turkish Government sent after me. They tried to arrest 
me and send me back to Turkiye. Thankfully, U.S. Senator 
Lankford got involved and helped me fly back to the United 
States.
    In 9 years, I received 12 arrest warrants and countless 
deaths threats. They tried to attack me in front of a mosque in 
Boston. They run social media campaigns against me so their 
fanatics could harass me or attack me when they see me. They 
pressured American universities, NGO's, and political groups to 
cancel their events with me.
    Sadly, all these are happening because of a so-called NATO 
ally. Instead of protecting and supporting democracy and human 
rights in the country or abroad, they became an enemy of the 
democracy and human rights.
    Seven years after having my Turkish citizenship revoked, I 
became an American citizen. While becoming a citizen, I changed 
my last name to Freedom and dedicated my whole life to defend 
freedom.
    I am very grateful to the Members of the Congress for 
inviting me here and allowing me to share my story and the 
story of millions. Thank you.
    [The prepared statement of Mr. Freedom follows:]
               Prepared Statement of Enes Kanter Freedom
                            January 17, 2024
    Thank you, Chairman Pfluger, Ranking Member Magaziner, and Members 
of the committee for giving me the opportunity to testify today on the 
very important issue of Transnational Repression.
    President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's long arm has reached tens of 
thousands of Turkish citizens abroad while Turkey has been experiencing 
a deepening human rights crisis since a coup attempt on July 15, 2016. 
The Turkish government has been carrying out an extraordinary campaign 
of transnational repression against its critics overseas since the 
failed coup.
    The State Department's 2022 Country Reports on Human Rights 
Practices in Turkey reported that the Turkish government increasingly 
coordinated with other authoritarian states to forcibly transfer more 
than 100 Turkish nationals to Turkey since the 2016 coup, and more than 
40 individuals were put through abduction, rendition, and forcible 
return.
    Turkey's campaign has mostly targeted people affiliated with the 
Gulen movement. The movement is a globally respected faith-based civil 
society inspired by Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen, focusing on 
promoting interfaith dialog and education throughout the world.
    The latest annual human rights report on Turkey by the U.S. 
Department of State sets out violations by Turkey including 
``politically-motivated retaliation against individuals located outside 
the country'' and ``kidnappings and transfers without due process of 
alleged members of the Gulen movement''.
    Turkish intelligence abducted Selahattin Gulen who was a teacher in 
Kenya, and Orhan Inandi who was the chairman of a successful school 
network in Kyrgyzstan. They were abducted and faced torture in prison. 
They published his pictures on Turkish media with a broken arm. Most 
recently they abducted Koray Vural who was a businessman in Tajikistan. 
The list goes on and on, as the reports say more than 100 individuals 
abducted by the Turkish intelligence faced torture in prison.
    Turkey is also pressuring other countries to close many successful 
math and science academies. As the State Department reported on the 
Human Rights Country Report in 2022, the government applied bilateral 
pressure on other governments to secure their assistance with 
renditions without full due process and couched such requests as 
cooperation on countering terrorism. Some observers attributed the 
abrupt closure of a popular Gulen-affiliated school in Albania in 
September with pressure from the Turkish government.
    A letter sent to the Turkish government in 2020 by the responsible 
U.N. Special Rapporteur condemned ``the systematic practice of state-
sponsored extraterritorial abduction and forcible return of Turkish 
citizens from many countries.''
    In this letter, U.N. representatives stated that victims were first 
spied upon in the host country and then abducted: ``Victims remain 
missing or incommunicado for weeks before being deported. During this 
time, they are often subjected to pressure, torture, and humiliation to 
pressure them into consenting to be taken to Turkey or into confessions 
for trial in Turkey. They are denied access to medical care and legal 
aid, and their families are not informed. Victims report repeated 
torture by intelligence officers, mainly sleep deprivation, beatings, 
waterboarding, and electric shocks.'' While Turkish government neither 
denies nor hides the abductions, these acts are publicly promoted and 
glorified by government-led media, and the victims are presented in 
handcuffs before disappearing.
    Between 2014 and 2023, Freedom House recorded 112 incidents of 
physical transnational repression against journalists perpetrated by 26 
governments. Turkey is one of the leading ones.
    A Turkish journalist interviewed by Freedom House experienced the 
closure of U.S. bank accounts, likely due to empty terrorism 
accusations from the Turkish government. There are dozens of people who 
live in the United States and their accounts are still closed.
    People whose names appear on the published lists have faced various 
repercussions including the freezing or closure of their accounts, 
negative credit scores, and various other personal and financial 
difficulties in Western countries.
    As the reports mention, after 2016, Erdogan's regime started to 
arrest everyone who was in opposition. In one day more than 2 million 
people labeled as terrorists in Turkey. Then I began to call out human 
rights violations by President Erdogan in my home country. The Turkish 
government asked the U.S. Government to extradite me, canceled my 
passport, put my name on Interpol list, imprisoned my father, and set a 
$500,000 bounty on my head.
    During a 2017 visit to Indonesia, I was nearly kidnapped by the 
local government officials with intentions to send me back to Turkey. 
With the help of a good local officer, I was able to get out of the 
country right away. Later that year, I hardly escaped from police 
officers at the Romanian airport that the Turkish government sent after 
me. They tried to arrest me and send me back to Turkey. Thankfully 
Senator Lankford got involved and helped me to fly back to the United 
States.
    In 9 years, I received 12 arrest warrants and countless death 
threats. They tried to attack me in front of a mosque in Boston. They 
run social media campaigns against me so their fanatics could harass me 
or attack me when they see me. They pressured American universities, 
NGO's, and political groups to cancel their events with me.
    Sadly, all these are happening because of a so-called NATO ally. 
Instead of protecting and supporting democracy and human rights in the 
country or abroad, they became an enemy of democracy and human rights.
    Seven years after having my Turkish citizenship revoked, I became 
an American citizen. While becoming a citizen, I changed my last name 
to Freedom and dedicated my whole life to defend freedom.
    I'm very grateful to the Members of the Congress for inviting me to 
hear and allowing me to share my story and the story of millions.

    Mr. Pfluger. Thank you very much, Mr. Freedom.
    The Chair now recognizes Ms. Nia for your 5-minute opening 
statement.

 STATEMENT OF GISSOU NIA, DIRECTOR OF THE STRATEGIC LITIGATION 
                   PROJECT, ATLANTIC COUNCIL

    Ms. Nia. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, Mr. Ranking Member, 
Members of the Subcommittee on Counterterrorism, Law 
Enforcement, and Intelligence. Thank you for inviting me here 
to testify on the problem of transnational repression and the 
threat it poses to the United States and Americans wherever 
they may be in the world.
    My team at the Strategic Litigation Project at the Atlantic 
Council includes lawyers from the Uyghur community, Venezuela, 
Cuba, Afghanistan, Iran and other regions of the world, and so 
this testimony is partly informed by that and the experiences 
of the impacted communities that we speak to.
    First, I'm going to discuss gaps in the law here in the 
United States and new legal tools that can address this 
problem, and then I'll touch on a few themes I've observed in 
interacting with these communities. Maybe that can help better 
inform law enforcement and this committee's decisions on this 
matter.
    So fighting transnational repression should start with 
defining, in clear legal terms, what the problem exactly is. I 
think we've heard from my fellow panelists that there are two 
pieces of legislation pending that would seek to define this 
term.
    We also--we have a need for a robust criminal legal 
approach to address the problem of transnational repression. A 
comprehensive definition introduced through legislation could 
allow prosecutors to target perpetrators more directly.
    If we look at the criminal indictment against the 
perpetrators who attempted to kidnap Iranian-American dissident 
Masih Alinejad, who this committee is familiar with, there was 
a reliance on charges such as conspiracy to commit bank and 
wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
    While the first paragraph of that indictment identified the 
problem as one of transnational repression, the lack of a 
specific provision in the U.S. Code meant the defendants needed 
to face a range of other charges to be brought before a 
criminal process.
    In that indictment, the four Iran-based defendants were 
charged in Federal Court because they hired a private 
investigative firm based in the United States and used the U.S. 
financial system, which is prohibited to agents of the Islamic 
Republic, but many other acts leading up to the kidnapping plot 
encompassed transnational repression.
    For example, Iranian officials pressured her family with 
offers of payment to lure her to meet them in a third country 
where she could be more easily abducted. They also imprisoned 
her brother on unfounded national security charges, simply to 
exert pressure on Ms. Alinejad.
    These are all acts of transnational repression intended to 
target a U.S. person, but they do not fall neatly within 
existing U.S. criminal law. If you look at the DOJ indictments 
against PRC actors engaging in transnational repression, you'll 
see a similar pattern of charging.
    Now, there is a piece of legislation that could identify 
that--I mean, that could address that, and we can get into that 
a bit in the Q and A. But, as lawmakers, consider these 
proposals. Jurisdictional reach needs to be a key 
consideration.
    It has to be expansive enough to protect victims. In Title 
18 of the U.S. Code, we already have jurisdiction over a broad 
range of international crimes, like torture, genocide, war 
crimes. We need to have that expansive jurisdiction because, 
for example, if foreign family members of a political dissident 
are being targeted by a foreign state and that political 
dissident has recently arrived in the United States as a 
refugee or asylum seeker, that would not be covered. So we need 
to seek to include that.
    I'll quickly touch on a few other things, including that 
short of a criminal statute on transnational repression, you 
could have something like an extraterritorial Federal criminal 
statute for extrajudicial killings, which would also cover a 
key component of this.
    The last thing that I'll touch on is how--another critical 
aspect of this problem is how to identify and address threats 
posed to U.S. citizens and residents by U.S. allies, not 
adversaries.
    A huge part of my work is focused on the threat that U.S. 
adversaries pose. However, it's also carried out by 
authoritarian governments with strategic partnerships with the 
United States, conditioned on aid packages, arms deals, 
political support and trade relationships. This includes Egypt, 
the UAE, Saudi Arabia, even India, Rwanda.
    But a lot of the people who are targeted by this have a 
feeling that the U.S. Government would not have their support 
if they come forward and give information about these threats 
because of those special relationships. So in the Q&A, I'd love 
to discuss a bit further how we can encourage those communities 
to come forward with that valuable information.
    [The prepared statement of Ms. Nia follows:]
                    Prepared Statement of Gissou Nia
                            January 17, 2024
    Hello Mr. Chairman, Mr. Ranking Member, Members of the House 
Committee on Homeland Security, and Subcommittee on Counterterrorism, 
Law Enforcement & Intelligence, thank you for inviting me to testify 
today on the problem of transnational repression and the threat it 
poses to the United States and Americans wherever they may be in the 
world.
    I am a lawyer specialized in international criminal law and human 
rights law who is the founder and director of the Strategic Litigation 
Project at the Atlantic Council. I founded the Strategic Litigation 
Projectin 2019 to seek redress for victims and survivors of human 
rights violations, atrocity crimes, terrorism, and corruption. Part of 
the work of our team focuses on cross-border crimes and the risk that 
authoritarian states pose to dissidents around the world. In assessing 
these threats, we work closely with activists and impacted communities 
to understand patterns and the nature of these threats--which can often 
be context- and country-specific. Our team includes lawyers from the 
Uyghur community, Venezuela, Cuba, Afghanistan, Iran, and other regions 
of the world. We are often consulted by governments, U.N. experts, 
private practitioners, and targets of transnational repression on what 
legal and policy options are available to address this growing problem. 
My testimony today is informed by that work, as well as my experience 
over the past two decades working with civil society from oppressive 
regimes around the world and understanding the unique threats that 
activists, journalists, human rights defenders, and others who speak 
truth to power face.
                                 ______
                                 
    First, I am going to discuss gaps in the law here in the United 
States and new legal tools that can address the problem of 
transnational repression. Then, I will touch on a few themes I have 
observed in interacting with communities impacted by this problem and 
how this can help better inform law enforcement.
1--Congress should pass better criminal and civil legal tools to combat 
        transnational repression.
    Fighting transnational repression should start with defining, in 
clear legal terms, exactly what it is.
    Currently, there is legislation pending before Congress that will 
help define transnational repression and formulate a strong foreign 
policy response to this phenomenon. The Transnational Repression Policy 
Act, introduced by a bipartisan group of Senators and building on a 
provision Congress passed in the NDAA for 2022 which focused on the 
abuse of INTERPOL by authoritarian regimes, seeks to do this.
    However we also have a need for a robust criminal legal approach to 
address the problem of transnational repression that can better 
synthesize the crime and its penalties.
    A comprehensive definition introduced through legislation could 
allow prosecutors to target perpetrators more directly. For example, in 
the criminal indictment against the perpetrators who attempted to 
kidnap Iranian-American dissident Masih Alinejad, there was a reliance 
on charges such as conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud and 
conspiracy to commit money laundering. While the first paragraph of 
that indictment identified the problem as one of transnational 
repression, the lack of a specific provision in the U.S. Code meant the 
defendants needed to face a range of other charges.
    In that indictment, the four Iran-based defendants were charged in 
Federal court because they hired a private investigative firm based in 
the United States and used the U.S. financial system, which is 
prohibited to agents of the Islamic Republic. But many other acts 
leading up to the kidnapping plot encompassed transnational repression. 
For example, Islamic Republic of Iran officials pressured Ms. 
Alinejad's family with offers of payment to lure Ms. Alinejad to meet 
them in a third country, where she could be more easily abducted. They 
also imprisoned her brother on unfounded national security charges, 
simply to exert pressure on Ms. Alinejad.
    These are all acts of transnational repression intended to target a 
U.S. person, but they do not fall neatly within existing U.S. criminal 
law.
    A survey of DOJ indictments against PRC actors engaging in 
transnational repression reveals a similar pattern of charging.
    A new legal definition could specifically outline what types of 
acts will constitute harassment and persecution--including crimes like 
murder, torture, and kidnapping, as well as cyber attacks and the 
spread of disinformation.
    As lawmakers consider legislative proposals to criminalize 
transnational repression, jurisdictional reach should also be a key 
consideration. Title 18 of the U.S. Code already provides jurisdiction 
outside the United States over a broad range of international crimes 
such as torture, genocide, war crimes, recruitment of child soldiers, 
trafficking, piracy, and terrorism.
    But jurisdiction must be expansive enough to protect victims. If a 
bill only allows for the exercise of extraterritorial jurisdiction when 
the perpetrator or victim is a U.S. national, it would leave an 
accountability gap. For example, prosecutors would be hindered from 
bringing a case if foreign family members of a political dissident are 
being targeted by a foreign state and that political dissident has 
recently arrived in the United States as a refugee or asylum seeker.
    Short of a Federal criminal statute specifically addressing 
transnational repression, other proposals that might help enforce 
accountability include an extraterritorial Federal criminal statute for 
extrajudicial killings, which could provide accountability if a U.S.-
based dissident's family members are killed.
    Then there are civil litigation tools that could provide remedies 
for transnational repression.
    Under the``terrorism exception'' to the Foreign Sovereign 
Immunities Act, individuals can sue U.S.-designated state sponsors of 
terrorism--currently Iran, Syria, North Korea, and Cuba--for 
extraterritorial acts including torture, extrajudicial killing, and 
hostage taking. But that is only possible if the plaintiffs were U.S. 
nationals at the time the act occurred.
    Congress could amend the statute to allow individuals to sue if 
they are U.S. nationals or lawful permanent residents at the time the 
claim is brought, allowing newly-arrived dissidents who are the target 
of transnational repression to hold the governments of their origin 
countries accountable.
    Staying on the topic of exceptions to the FSIA, the Homeland and 
Cyber Threat (HACT) Act has been introduced and re-introduced before 
the House since 2019 and would partly address transnational repression 
by allowing dissidents who are U.S. nationals to sue foreign states 
that launch cyber attacks against them.
    However, this would not address the problem of accountability 
against private companies--who facilitate the sale of spyware used 
against dissidents. A series of judgments from the U.S. Supreme Court 
have restricted the possibilities for corporate liability and this 
negatively impacts the ability of U.S.-based non-citizen dissidents to 
sue companies involved in surveillance. These barriers to 
accountability in U.S. domestic law must be removed.
2--How to address transnational repression from U.S. allies versus from 
        U.S. adversaries.
    Another critical aspect of this problem is to how to identify and 
address threats posed to U.S. citizens and residents by U.S. allies, 
not adversaries. A quick glance at the FBI website to report instances 
of transnational repression shows a list of DOJ indictments against 
individuals from China, Russia, and Iran but there is nothing to 
indicate that these threats can also come from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the 
UAE, Rwanda, and even India.
    Transnational repression is not only carried out by U.S. 
adversaries, it is also carried out by authoritarian governments with 
strategic partnerships with the U.S. conditioned on aid packages, arms 
deals, political support, and trade relationships. These authoritarian 
states have the same interest other authoritarian states do in 
silencing dissidents abroad, and their friendly relationship with the 
United States does not deter them from targeting dissidents on U.S. 
soil.
    The nature of the relationship between governments does however 
affect how confident the victims and impacted communities feel in 
coming forward to law enforcement here in the United States to inform 
authorities of the problem. In consultations I have had with dissidents 
from countries friendly with the United States, they have expressed 
fear or reluctance in approaching U.S. authorities to detail the 
threats they face. There is a pervasive feeling that U.S. authorities 
may not defend their interests in the same way they would if the 
perpetrators were from an ``adversary'' country like Russia, China, or 
Iran--where U.S. foreign policy has taken a clear position in defending 
the interests of Americans with no tradeoffs.
    The efforts that the FBI has taken to encourage impacted 
communities to report incidents of transnational repression is 
admirable, but it will only be as strong as the willingness of 
communities to come forward. Similarly, the Transnational Repression 
Policy Act instructs DHS to create a tip line for victims and witnesses 
of transnational repression to share information with the U.S. 
Government--but again, these communities need to trust that this 
information will be acted on in a beneficial, not harmful, way and this 
will require trust.
    This touches on a last point. The strategy to combat transnational 
repression domestically will be strengthened with improved global 
coordination to tackle bad actors. Given the cross-border nature of 
this crime, the repression may begin in the origin country, but it can 
touch other countries along the way, in a chain of repression that 
ultimately can impact U.S. interests. For example, both Saudi Arabia 
and Egypt have consented to China's requests that Uyghur dissidents be 
repatriated to China--despite the risks that those dissidents will be 
imprisoned and sent to ``reeducation'' centers. And multiple U.S. 
residents who are dissidents from authoritarian regimes have been 
detained or abducted while traveling through the UAE and sent to their 
origin country. U.S. law enforcement should work with their 
counterparts in allied countries to assess why this is happening and 
undertake efforts to better protect dissidents.
                                 ______
                                 
    Mr. Chairman, Mr. Ranking Member, and Members of the committee, 
thank you again. I look forward to your questions.

    Mr. Pfluger. Thank you, Ms. Nia.
    Thank you all for your testimony, incredibly enlightening, 
and I think we'll have a good discussion.
    Members will be recognized in order of seniority for their 
5 minutes of questioning, and an additional round of 
questioning may be called after all Members have been 
recognized.
    I now recognize myself for 5 minutes of questioning. Before 
I start, I'd like to insert for the record a statement from the 
Sikh Coalition to this committee. So ordered, with unanimous 
consent.
    [The information follows:]
                    Statement of The Sikh Coalition
                            January 17, 2024
    The Sikh Coalition respectfully submits this statement for the 
record in connection with the above-referenced hearing before the House 
Homeland Security Committee's Subcommittee on Counterterrorism, Law 
Enforcement, and Intelligence. As a civil rights organization that 
represents the Sikh community in the United States, we write to address 
our concern about the threats that Sikhs in the United States face from 
transnational repression perpetrated by the government of India.
    By way of background, the Sikh Coalition is the largest Sikh 
American civil rights organization in the United States. Our 
organization was founded in the immediate aftermath of September 11, 
2001, in response to a torrent of hate crimes and acts of 
discrimination, both individual and institutional, against Sikhs 
throughout the United States. In the more than 20 years since, our 
mission has been to work toward a world where Sikhs and other religious 
minorities in America can freely practice their faith without bias, 
bigotry, and backlash.
    Transnational repression is being used to silence dissidents, human 
rights advocates, journalists, and minorities around the world--
including American citizens. This is an area of concern that impacts 
diaspora communities targeted by Russia, Iran, India, China, Turkey, 
North Korea, and other countries.\1\ To address the safety concerns and 
civil rights of our communities, the committee has the ability to pass 
existing bills and identify additional recommendations that can 
responsibly hold countries accountable for their actions, while also 
ensuring that the civil rights and civil liberties of Americans are not 
violated and that no community in the United States is scapegoated for 
the acts of a foreign nation.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \1\ Mike Abramowitz and Nate Schenkkan, ``The long arm of the 
authoritarian State,'' The Washington Post, Feb. 3, 2021, https://
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/02/03/freedom-house-transnational-
repression-authoritarian-dissidents/; and Yana Gorokhovskaia, Nate 
Schenkkan, and Grady Vaughan, ``Still Not Safe: Transnational 
Repression in 2022,'' Freedom House, Apr. 6, 2023, https://
freedomhouse.org/sites/default/files/2023-04/FH_Trans- 
nationalRepression2023_0.pdf.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    While the Sikh Coalition cannot speak to all of the lived 
experiences of every community targeted by transnational repression, we 
write to share with you credible concerns that the government of India 
has engaged in such behavior against the Sikh diaspora. Recent events 
have confirmed long-standing community concerns about efforts to 
instill fear and silence within Sikhs in the United States. In November 
2023, the Department of Justice indicted an Indian national who 
allegedly attempted to coordinate the assassination of a Sikh American 
on U.S. soil at the direction of an unnamed employee of the government 
of India.\2\ That indictment also alleges that the government of India 
had a list of additional Sikhs--in the words of one conspirator, ``so 
many targets''--they planned to kill between the United States and 
Canada. Moreover, the Sikh Coalition is also concerned that India is 
exporting hate-fueled propaganda to further target religious minority 
communities with anti-Sikh, Islamophobic, and otherwise discriminatory 
or fear-mongering disinformation to incite community unrest and 
violence within the diaspora. These concerns are swelling as we 
approach the 40th anniversary of the start of a campaign of genocidal 
violence visited upon the Sikh community in India by the Indian 
government in 1984.\3\ Sikh Americans who wish to raise awareness about 
the acts of India, both historical and present-day, must be free to do 
so without fear of retribution and violence from the Indian government, 
paid criminals, recruited street forces, or extremist Hindu 
nationalists.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \2\ United States v. Nikhil Gupta, Sealed Superseding Indictment, 
S1 23 Cr. 289 (VM), https://www.justice.gov/media/1326501/dl?inline.
    \3\ Jaskaran Kaur, ``Twenty Years of Impunity--The November 1984 
Pogroms of Sikhs in India,'' Ensaaf, Oct. 2006, https://ensaaf.org/wp-
content/uploads/2018/08/20years-2d.pdf.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    In light of the alarming news of India's alleged involvement in 
multiple assassinations and other recent events indicating attempts to 
target Sikh Americans and houses of worship in our Nation, it is 
imperative that Congress take bold action to protect the civil rights 
and civil liberties of all Americans and defend our Nation from such 
challenges to our Nation's democratic and pluralistic ideals. The 
United States should not tolerate attempts to intimidate, harass, and 
threaten its people, and must hold accountable not only the individual 
actors but also those involved in the architecting and supporting such 
plots. Indeed, our commitment to democracy must be even stronger when 
foreign nations are actively propagating fear in our Nation and seeking 
to restrict the freedom of our citizens. We appreciate the Biden-Harris 
administration prioritizing initiatives to address transnational 
repression in 2021. However, this new and developing area of national 
security requires greater multi-agency resource coordination to 
streamline current processes. Finally, the United States Government 
must ensure there is neutral application of existing political tools to 
avoid favoritism with specific countries.
i. credible allegations of india's plot to murder americans and instill 
                   fear against a religious diaspora
    On November 29, 2023 the Department of Justice unsealed an 
indictment \4\ of Indian national Nikhil Gupta, who was allegedly 
recruited by an employee of the Indian government to work with others 
to assassinate Sikh Americans and Canadians. The indictment indicates 
that Mr. Gupta, along with his collaborators, dedicated extensive time, 
international coordination, and $100,000 to a murder-for-hire scheme 
targeting a Sikh American in New York, and that the plot had involved 
``so many [other] targets,'' including at least one other American in 
California. The indictment contains allegations that corroborate 
India's alleged role in the assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a 
Canadian citizen who was murdered in British Columbia, Canada, in June 
2023. Moreover, the facts alleged in the indictment indicate that there 
is an on-going threat of assassination against an unknown number of 
U.S. Sikhs, and that there is an international network of individuals, 
including an employee of the government of India, who are coordinating 
and financing these illegal activities.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \4\ United States v. Nikhil Gupta, Sealed Superseding Indictment, 
S1 23 Cr. 289 (VM), https://www.justice.gov/media/1326501/dl?inline.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Subsequent events have lent further credence to the likelihood that 
the government of India is directly responsible for attempts to target 
Sikhs in the United States and abroad: reports of a leaked memo \5\ 
originally issued by India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in 
April indicate that the MEA ``instructed its consulates in North 
America to launch a `sophisticated crackdown scheme' against Sikh 
diaspora organizations,'' including organizations in the United 
States.\6\ The MEA memo lists the names of several members of the Sikh 
diaspora, including Mr. Nijjar, who was assassinated 2 months after the 
memo was issued. In the MEA memo, Sikhs' expressions of free speech and 
political dissent were conflated with extremism and terrorism, and 
mischaracterized its targeting of Sikhs abroad as a fight against Sikh 
separatist, or Khalistani ``extremism''.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \5\ See Exhibit 1.
    \6\ Murtaza Hussain and Ryan Grim, ``Secret Indian Memo Ordered 
`Concrete Measures' Against Hardeep Singh Nijjar Two Months Before His 
Assassination in Canada,'' The Intercept, Dec. 10, 2023, https://
theintercept.com/2023/12/10/india-sikhs-leaked-memo-us-canada/.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    More worryingly, the MEA memo admits India's frustration with those 
who were ``actively engaged in anti-India propaganda, attempting to 
degrade India's international image'' and that the United States and 
Canada were ``asserting that these organizations have not committed any 
crime within their territories.'' Nonetheless, the MEA memo identifies 
three requests by Indian missions/consulates in the United States to 
undertake the following actions:
    (1) Increasing clandestine security operations, including a 
        ``sophisticated crackdown scheme'' on Sikhs in the United 
        States and Canada and increased surveillance between Sikhs and 
        elected officials;
    (2) Influence authorities, think tanks, and political figures to 
        foster a ``favorable atmosphere''; and
    (3) Cultivate a ``vital force in the street'' through U.S.-based 
        organizations (including the U.S.-India Business Council,\7\ 
        Indiaspora, among other organizations).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \7\ We note that the MEA memo's scheme of interference in our 
domestic affairs is targeting a U.S. Government organization that 
resides with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    The strategies identified in the MEA memo should be alarming as 
they indicate a conscious and willful disregard for not only the human 
rights of Americans engaged in the lawful expressions of their freedom 
of speech, but indeed our Nation's fundamental sovereignty. The MEA 
memo has identified strategies to develop a street force in the United 
States that can be mobilized by a foreign nation to intimidate fellow 
Americans and stoke unrest for expressing their lawfully-protected 
speech. The MEA memo also identifies strategies used by hostile foreign 
governments to undermine trust and confidence in our Nation's 
institutions, including government, law enforcement, think tanks, and 
politicians. Canada has already expressed public concern that the 
government of India is one of the leading nations engaged in foreign 
interference within its borders.\8\ More must be done by our Federal 
Government, think tanks, and law enforcement to defend against such 
foreign interference campaigns. Pursuant to laws on international human 
rights,\9\ communities have the right to determine if they want to be a 
part of a nation-state or not, and that right should not be infringed 
upon.\10\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \8\ Dylan Robertson, ``India among top sources of foreign 
interference in Canada: Jody Thomas,'' Toronto Sun, June 5, 2023, 
https://torontosun.com/news/national/india-among-top-sources-of-
foreign-interference-in-canada-jody-thomas.
    \9\ International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, United 
Nations General Assembly Resolution 2200A (XXI), December 16, 1996, 
https://www.ohchr.org/en/instruments-mechanisms/instruments/
international-covenant-civil-and-political-rights; Declaration on the 
Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, United 
Nations General Assembly Resolution 1514 (XV), Dec. 14, 1960, https://
www.ohchr.org/en/instruments-mechanisms/instruments/declaration-
granting-independence-colonial-countries-and-peoples.
    \10\ The demand for self-determination by Sikhs to create a 
homeland called Khalistan has roots in the historical and cultural 
differences between the Punjabi Sikhs and the Indian state. Sikhs have 
a distinct identity and many believe that their rights and interests 
have been ignored or suppressed by the Indian state for more than four 
decades. Therefore, the demand for self-determination is not just a 
political issue, but also a cultural and social one. Genocidal violence 
by India targeting the Sikh community also plays a significant role in 
legitimate requests for self-determination.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Regrettably, India has criminalized the right of self-determination 
for Sikhs and overbroadly deems any expression in support of this 
political belief as terroristic.\11\ In a democracy like the United 
States, individuals have the right to peacefully express their 
political beliefs without fear of retribution. The freedom of speech 
and expression of our citizens is a fundamental cornerstone that cannot 
be violated by any domestic law, much less by a foreign government. The 
assassination plots credibly believed to be orchestrated by India 
undermine these principles by targeting individuals, including 
Canadians and Americans, who are supporting an unofficial and non-
binding referendum vote to gather consensus among Sikh communities 
world-wide on the establishment of Khalistan, a Sikh homeland.\12\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \11\ ``Support for self-determination with respect to Khalistan is 
outlawed in India and considered a national security threat by the 
government--a number of groups associated with the movement are listed 
as `terrorist organizations' under India's Unlawful Activities 
(Prevention) Act (UAPA),'' Paula Newton and Rhea Mogul, ``India expels 
Canadian diplomat in tit-for-tat move as spat over assassinated Sikh 
activist deepens,'' CNN, Updated Sept. 19, 2023, https://www.cnn.com/
2023/09/18/americas/canada-hardeep-singh-nijjar-india-intl/index.html#; 
``Since June 2020, hundreds of Sikhs have been detained and 
interrogated in India due to their social media activities and some 
have been charged with offences related to support for Khalistan under 
the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (`UAPA'),'' ``Enforcing silence: 
India's War on Sikh Social Media,'' World Sikh Organization, July 2020, 
https://assets.nationbuilder.com/worldsikh/pages/2479/attachments/
original/1680541803/WSO_So- cial_Media_Crackdown_Report.pdf?1680541803; 
``In a chilling throwback McCarthyism in the United States, India's 
Parliament has passed the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment 
Bill, 2019 which will allow the Central government to designate 
individuals as `terrorists' without the exercise of due process of 
law,'' Rongeet Poddar, ``Constitutionality of India's Unlawful 
Activities (Prevention) Amendment Bill, 2019: India's McCarthyism 
Moment,'' Oxford Human Rights Hub Blog, August 14, 2019, https://
ohrh.law.ox.ac.uk/constitutionality-of-indias-unlawful-activities-
prevention-amendment-bill-2019-indias-mccarthyism-moment.
    \12\ The Sikh Coalition does not take an institutional position on 
Khalistan, but firmly believes that all people have a right to free 
speech and a right to lawfully advocate for their beliefs.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Moreover, it is deeply concerning that India appears to be actively 
financing and promoting criminal enterprise activity in the United 
States. We are alarmed by what appears to be the government of India 
using criminal elements--including but not limited to recruiting an 
international narcotics trafficker\13\--to target Sikhs in the United 
States and other countries, a clear violation of democratic principles, 
due process, and respect for the rule of law. The use of criminal 
elements to kill individuals on India's hitlist further lends concern 
that the targets were selected not to enact justice but to send a 
message of fear to specific communities in the United States and intent 
to avoid culpability for the murder of Americans. It also leads to 
greater concerns as to what extent foreign governments are using 
transnational crime to undermine the safety and security of our Nation, 
and whether current policy is adequate to address these risks.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \13\ ``In or about May 2023, CC-1 recruited GUPTA to orchestrate 
the assassination of the Victim in the United States. GUPTA, an Indian 
national who also resides in India, is an associate of CC-1 and has 
described his involvement in international narcotics and weapons 
trafficking in his communications with CC-1 and others.'' United States 
v. Nikhil Gupta, Sealed Superceding Indictment, S1 23 Cr. 289 (VM), 
https://www.justice.gov/media/1326501/dl?inline.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Following the murder of Mr. Nijjar, the FBI warned several Sikh 
Americans of threats against them.\14\ More concerning is the fact that 
India appears to be unabated by the credible allegations of 
transnational repression brought by Canada and the indictment by the 
U.S. Department of Justice. Beyond India ignoring the rules-based 
international order by attempting to use criminal means to silence 
dissidents, it is alarming to note that India's targeting of the Sikh 
diaspora appears to be politically motivated leading up to India's 
elections.\15\ Further undermining the legitimacy of India's claims of 
combating fatal threats is the alleged strategic timing of India's 
assassination plot: The indictment specifically identifies that the 
Indian agent requested action that would not coincide with Prime 
Minister Narendra Modi's state visit to the United States.\16\ This 
allegation suggests a misuse of diplomatic relations to target 
religious minorities and political dissenters abroad, including 
Americans. This information also raises serious concerns about India's 
commitment to democratic principles, its reliability as a strategic 
partner,\17\ and its commitment to bilateral agreements with our 
Nation. The 2005 New Framework Agreement focused on upholding 
democratic institutions and the rule of law; similarly, the recent 2023 
U.S.-India Comprehensive Global and Strategic Partnership affirms that 
the rules-based international order must be respected. These actions of 
India, however, run contrary to such agreements and demonstrate that 
India is using its geopolitical standing with the United States to 
exploit human rights abuses against not only the United States, but 
also other Five Eyes nations.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \14\ Murtaza Hussain, ``FBI Warned Sikhs in the U.S. About Death 
Threats After Killing of Canadian Activist,'' The Intercept, Sept. 23, 
2023, https://theintercept.com/2023/09/23/sikhs-fbi-canada-india-
nijjar/.
    \15\ C. Christine Fair, ``India's Spat With Canada Is a Win-Win 
Situation for Modi,'' FP, Oct. 20, 2023, https://foreignpolicy.com/
2023/10/20/india-modi-canada-trudeau-nijjar-khalistan-sikh-separatism/.
    \16\ ``Gupta also specifically instructed the UC not to commit the 
murder around the time of anticipated engagements scheduled to occur in 
the ensuing weeks between high-level U.S. and Indian government 
officials.'' United States v. Nikhil Gupta, Sealed Superseding 
Indictment, S1 23 Cr. 289 (VM), https://www.justice.gov/media/1326501/
dl?inline.
    \17\ ``On foreign policy, India is reliably unreliable,'' The 
Economist, Nov. 24, 2022, https://www.economist.com/asia/2022/11/24/on-
foreign-policy-india-is-reliably unreliable.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    In December 2023, Human Rights Watch also raised concerns about 
India's ``systemic failures to prosecute security force personnel for 
extrajudicial killings'' and questioned India's willingness to address 
transnational repression.\18\ Following the indictment, India stated it 
would create a body to review the allegations.\19\ However, subsequent 
to that announcement, Nikhil Gupta, the individual named in the 
unsealed public indictment, was recently transferred to solitary 
confinement by Czech authorities after they were alerted by the United 
States of a threat on his life.\20\ Reporting from this week now 
indicates that Sikhs in the United Kingdom ``have been warned by police 
that their lives are in danger'' amid claims of escalating attempts to 
target Sikh activists.\21\ Sufficient credible reporting suggests that 
within its own borders India is among the most egregious offenders of 
human rights. The safety, security, and rights of dissidents and 
religious minorities are now also under grave threat from the actions 
of India. Given on-going concerns about India's belligerence to the 
rule of law and human rights we express grave concern that India will 
not meaningfully address these serious matters, more must be done to 
hold India and those acting with India accountable.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \18\ ``India: Investigate Alleged Overseas Murder Plots,'' Human 
Rights Watch, https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/12/15/india-investigate-
alleged-overseas-murder-plots.
    \19\ Krishn Kaushik, ``India to probe US concerns linking it to 
foiled murder plot,'' Reuters, Nov. 29, 2023, https://www.reuters.com/
world/india/india-forms-committee-look-into-security-concerns-raised-
by-us-2023-11-29/.
    \20\ Ritika Chopra, ``Plot to kill Pannun: Czech govt moved Nikhil 
Gupta to solitary after US input on life threat,'' The Indian Express, 
Updated Jan. 8, 2024, https://indianexpress.com/article/india/plot-to-
kill-pannun-czech-govt-moved-nikhil-gupta-to-solitary-after-us-input-
on-life-threat-9099366/.
    \21\ Fiona Hamilton, Amardeep Bassey, ``Sikhs given `threat to 
life' notices fear link to India,'' The Times, Jan. 14, 2023, https://
www.thetimes.co.uk/article/sikh-leaders-in-uk-issued-with-threat-to-
life-notices-wnskwhkhb#.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
ii. concerning pattern of transnational repression by india and indian 
    nationalists targeting religious minorities in the united states
    In September 2023, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau confirmed 
that ``Canadian security agencies have been actively pursuing credible 
allegations of a potential link'' between the Indian state and the 
arbitrary extra-judicial killing of Sikh Canadian Hardeep Singh Nijjar 
in British Columbia in June of the same year.\22\ As mentioned above, 
Prime Minister Trudeau's national security advisor previously named 
India as a ``top source of foreign interference in Canada,''\23\ and 
these concerns were publicly raised by Prime Minister Trudeau at the 
G20 Summit in New Delhi in September.\24\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \22\ Paula Newton and Rhea Mogul, ``India expels Canadian diplomat 
in tit-for-tat move as spat over assassinated Sikh activist deepens.'' 
CNN, Sep. 19, 2023, https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/18/americas/canada-
hardeep-singh-nijjar-india-intl/index.html.
    \23\ ``India among top actors for foreign interference in Canada: 
national security adviser.'' CTV News, Jun. 5, 2023, https://
www.ctvnews.ca/politics/india-among-top-actors-for-foreign-
interference-in-canada-national-security-adviser-1.6428213#.
    \24\ ``Trudeau leaves India after aircraft issues delayed departure 
from rocky G20: Canadian prime minister's time at G20 summit in New 
Delhi highlights growing tensions between India and Canada.'' Al 
Jazeera, Sep. 12, 2023, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/9/12/
trudeau-leaves-india-after-aircraft-issues-delayed-departure-from-
rocky-g20#.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Concerns of transnational repression, and specifically the 
targeting of Sikhs, extends beyond these events in Canada. The United 
States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has also 
found that Jagtar ``Jaggi'' Singh Johal, a British Sikh man, remains 
``detained [in India] for his religious belief and for documenting 
religious freedom violations.''\25\ And in May 2022, the United Nations 
Working Group on Arbitrary Detention declared Johal's detention 
arbitrary and called for his immediate release.\26\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \25\ ``Jagtar Singh Johal,'' United States Commission on 
International Religious Freedom, https://www.uscirf.gov/religious-
prisoners-conscience/forb-victims-data base/jagtar-singh-johal.
    \26\ Calum McKay and Katie Hunter, ``UN group: No legal basis for 
Jagtar Singh Johal's detention in India.'' BBC News, May 8, 2022, 
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-61371846.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Additionally, members of the Sikh American community, including 
elected officials,\27\ have courageously spoken out about threats that 
could be traced back to the government of India or may be the result of 
India's cultivated street force here in the United States or 
radicalized Hindu nationalist extremists \28\ stoked by India's 
industrial-scale disinformation campaigns and open calls for the 
assassination of dissidents, including individuals in the United 
States. It should be very alarming that the targeting is against 
American houses of worship, such as gurdwaras (Sikh houses of worship), 
including one in California, reportedly using travel visas as a tool of 
coercion against Americans.\29\ Similarly, India has also been 
repeatedly implicated in infiltrating gurdwaras in Canada \30\ and 
repeatedly convicted of spying on Sikhs by courts in Germany.\31\ Many 
Sikhs, including current and former elected officials in Canada, have 
also been denied visas to visit India as a result of speaking out about 
human rights abuses in India.\32\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \27\ Jenny Huh, ``Sikh lawmakers, threatened over ethnicity in 
recent weeks, highlight nationwide safety concerns,'' KGET, Oct. 19, 
2023, https://www.kget.com/news/local-news/local-sikh-lawmakers-
threatened-over-ethnicity-in-recent-weeks-highlight-nationwide-safety-
concerns/; Joe Rubin, ``Sikh activists in California fear being 
targeted in alleged assassination plot,'' The Sacramento Bee, Dec. 1, 
2023, https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article282490123.html.
    \28\ Hindu Nationalists and White Supremacists are also worryingly 
becoming further aligned to advance their respective agendas of 
prejudice in establishing racially pure societies. Supporters have 
embraced the Aryan race mythology as well as fascism, while White 
Supremacists have admired Hindu Nationalists promoting Islamophobia and 
the ideals of a caste system. See Aadita Chaudhury, ``Why white 
supremacists and Hindu nationalists are so alike'' Al Jazeera, Dec. 13, 
2018, https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2018/12/13/why-white-
supremacists-and-hindu-nationalists-are-so-alike; and Audrey Truschke, 
``Hindu Supremacists in a White World,'' Oxford Academic, Jun. 23, 
2023, https://academic.oup.com/jaar/article/90/4/805/7205783. The 
cross-pollination of extremist ideologies to inspire bigoted acts of 
hatred has become a growing threat for religious minorities around the 
world. See Joe Heim and James McAuley, ``New Zealand attacks offer the 
latest evidence of a web of supremacist extremism,'' The Washington 
Post, Mar. 15, 2019, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/new-
zealand-suspect-inspired-by-far-right-french-intellectual-who-feared-
nonwhite-immigration/2019/03/15/8c39fba4-6201-4a8d-99c6-
aa42db53d6d3_story.html. The importation of extremist Hindu nationalist 
ideology into the United States has the potential to spur more violence 
and unrest against Sikh and Muslim communities, which according to the 
Federal Bureau of Investigation's Hate Crime Statistics Program are 
already among the most targeted religious communities for hate violence 
in the United States.
    \29\ Joe Rubin, ``California Sikhs report threats, troubling 
incidents to FBI following assassination in Canada,'' The Sacramento 
Bee, Oct. 19, 2023, https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/
article280306154.html.
    \30\ ``WSO Expresses Concern over Indian Interference in Canada,'' 
World Sikh Organization, April 17, 2019, https://www.worldsikh.org/
wso_expresses_concern_over_indian- _interference_in_canada.
    \31\ Germany has charged inidviduals linked to Indian intelligence 
services at least three times. ``Germany charges man with spying for 
Indian intelligence,'' Al Jazeera, May 13, 2020, https://
www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/5/13/germany-charges-man-with-spying-for-
indian-intelligence; IP Singh, ``Second case of Germany going after 
Sikhs spying on their community,'' Times of India, April 12, 2019, 
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ludhiana/second-case-of-
germany-going-after-sikhs-spying-on-their-community/articleshow/
68841351.cms; ``German official charged with spying on Sikhs for 
India,'' The Local, Sept. 20, 2016, https://www.thelocal.de/20160920/
german-official-charged-with-spying-on-sikhs-for-india.
    \32\ IP Singh, ``Canadian Sikh MLA alleges India denied visa to 
him,'' Times of India, Updated Dec. 27, 2013, https://
timesofindia.indiatimes.com/nri/us-canada-news/canadian-sikh-mla-
alleges-india-denied-visa-to-him/articleshow/28001791.cms; and A Singh, 
``India denies ex-MP visa,'' Asian Pacific Post, Oct. 25, 2011, https:/
/asianpacificpost.com/article/4732-india-denies-ex-mp-visa.html.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    The Sikh Coalition has also received reports from individuals in 
the United States receiving threatening messages after attending 
peaceful protests critical of the Indian government. We are also aware 
of instances of Indian government agents stopping individuals 
arbitrarily and with false charges to elicit information about Sikh 
communities in the United States. And finally, we have been notified of 
situations in which individuals in the United States who have expressed 
criticism of the Indian government have had their family members in 
India face harassment at the hands of Indian authorities. Regrettably, 
many individuals are understandably reluctant to come forward due to 
report these instances with law enforcement due to the very real fear 
of reprisal against themselves or their loved ones abroad. Community 
reporting of incidents faces challenges due to a lack of awareness in 
recognizing signs of transnational repression.
    These challenges are exacerbated by insufficient community 
involvement and a lack of awareness among law enforcement agencies, 
including Federal authorities. Many of these concerns regarding India's 
behavior, however, were highlighted in December 2023 by the Senate 
Foreign Relations Committee, during their hearing on ``Transnational 
Repression: Authoritarians Targeting Dissenters Abroad.''\33\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \33\ ``Transnational Repression: Authoritarians Targeting 
Dissenters Abroad'' Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Dec. 6, 2023, 
https://www.foreign.senate.gov/hearings/transnational-repression-
authoritarians-targeting-disssenters-abroad.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    These disturbing reports highlight that Sikh Americans of all walks 
of life are being targeted, whether they are dissidents, elected 
officials, or simply attending houses of worship across the country. 
This pattern of intimidation and harassment against a religious 
minority community is deeply troubling and poses a significant threat 
to the safety and well-being of our nation and the rights of Americans. 
Recent reporting also indicates that a complex web of misinformation 
has sought to discredit foreign critics of the Modi government, and was 
set up and is run by an Indian intelligence officer.\34\ The reports 
from this entity, Disinfo Lab, have been cited by Indian officials on 
television and presented on Capitol Hill.\35\ Disinfo Lab often 
perpetuates ``unsubstantiated claims to paint U.S. Government figures, 
researchers, humanitarian groups and Indian American rights activists'' 
as part of a global conspiracy.\36\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \34\ Gerry Shih, Clara Ence Morse and Pranshu Verma, ``Covert 
Indian operation seeks to discredit Modi's critics in the U.S.,'' The 
Washington Post, December 10, 2023, https://www.washingtonpost.com/
world/2023/12/10/india-the-disinfo-lab-discredit-critics/#.
    \35\ Id.
    \36\ Id.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
   iii. the history of religious oppression by the indian government 
indicates a move toward authoritarianism with international aspirations
    These egregious actions by India, including attempting to murder 
Americans, not only violate our democratic ideals but are part of a 
broader pattern of India's suppression of religious minorities both 
domestically and abroad. When Sikhs and other religious minorities 
peacefully dissent, the response from the Indian government has too 
often been marked by attempts to suppress their freedoms of expression 
through internet shutdowns, media censorship, intimidation, arbitrary 
arrests, escalation of violence, and characterizations of peaceful 
dissidents as terrorists. Actions like these contradict fundamental 
human rights and risk exacerbating civil unrest and alienation of an 
entire religious minority community.
    In March 2023, Indian authorities executed weeks-long massive 
mobilizations of paramilitary and police forces, conducted multiple 
coordinated arbitrary arrests with brutal violence, imposed mobile 
internet data blackouts, blocked SMS services, censored media, and 
disproportionately targeted Sikhs and political dissenters across 
Punjab.\37\ Similar oppressive tactics were also displayed during the 
historic Farmers' Protests that began in India in September 2020.\38\ 
The Indian government's censorship of certain aspects of the country's 
national conversation evoke grave concerns of fostering a climate that 
could lead to mass violence against Muslims, Sikhs, and other 
minorities, especially given that India is considered a country at high 
risk for mass killings.\39\ USCIRF Chair Abraham Cooper also reiterated 
last year that ``[r]eligious freedom conditions in India have notably 
declined in recent years,'' specifically citing that ``Muslims, Sikhs, 
Christians, Dalits, and Adivasis are experiencing increased levels of 
attacks and acts of intimidation.''\40\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \37\ Letter to Secretary Antony Blinken, The Sikh Coalition, March 
21, 2023, https://www.sikhcoalition.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/
Support-for-Sikhs-and-Democratic-Norms-in-India-March-21-2023.pdf.
    \38\ Mujib Mashal and Sameer Yasir, ``Modi's Response to Farmer 
Protests in India Stirs Fears of a Pattern,'' New York Times, Feb. 3, 
2021, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/03/world/asia/india-modi-farmer-
protest-censorship.html.
    \39\ ``Rising Mass Atrocity Risks in India.'' United States 
Holocaust Memorial Museum, Mar. 30, 2022, https://www.ushmm.org/
genocide-prevention/blog/rising-mass-atrocity-risks-in-india; ``India: 
2023-24 Statistical Risk Assessment for Mass Killing,'' Early Warning 
Project, https://earlywarningproject.ushmm.org/countries/india.
    \40\ ``USCIRF Reiterates Concerns on Religious Freedom in India, 
Calls for Release of Religious Prisoners of Conscience,'' United States 
Commission on International Religious Freedom, Oct. 3, 2023, https://
www.uscirf.gov/news-room/releases-statements/uscirf-reiterates-
concerns-religious-freedom-india-calls-release#.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Non-governmental organizations (NGO's) like Amnesty International, 
which monitor human rights conditions world-wide, were forced to shut 
offices across India after being financially paralyzed by the Indian 
government.\41\ Oxfam and Khalsa Aid have also been subjected to raids 
by the Indian government.\42\ Similarly, the offices of BBC and other 
media organizations were subject to government raids.\43\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \41\ Hannah Ellis-Petersen and Ben Doherty, ``Amnesty to halt work 
in India due to government `witch-hunt'.'' The Guardian, Sep. 29, 2020, 
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/sep/29/amnesty-to-halt-work-in-
india-due-to-government-witch-hunt; ``NIA teams raid Khalsa Aid's 
Patiala office, question MD Amarpreet Singh,'' The Tribune, Aug. 2, 
2023, https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/punjab/nia-teams-raid-khalsa-
aids-patiala-office-question-md-531112#top.
    \42\ Astha Rajvanshi, ``How the Indian Government Uses Raids to 
Silence Critics,'' TIME, Feb. 14, 2023, https://time.com/6255425/india-
raid-bbc-modi-documentary/.
    \43\ Id.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    The Indian Government's control and manipulation of the media to 
advance their ideological purposes is also no secret. Since 2020, India 
has regressed further down the Reporters Without Borders World Press 
Freedom Index. It is now ranked among the worst for global press 
freedom with the likes of Russia, China, and Iran.\44\ India has 
expelled foreign journalists due to work critical of Prime Minister 
Narendra Modi,\45\ and imprisoned a growing number of journalists in-
country for their reporting.\46\ Additionally, even journalists in the 
United States who ask simple questions about India's human rights 
record face on-line threats and harassment.\47\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \44\ ``India: Media freedom under threat.`` Reporters Without 
Borders, Mar. 5, 2023, https://rsf.org/en/india-media-freedom-under-
threat.
    \45\ ``VICE journalist Angad Singh deported from Delhi.'' The 
Hindu, Aug. 25, 2022, https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/vice-
journalist-angad-singh-deported-from-delhi/article- 65810246.ece.
    \46\ Kavitha Iyer, `` `They Can Target Anybody': India's War on 
Free Press Is in High Gear,'' TIME, Aug. 1, 2022, https://time.com/
6202430/zubair-modi-muslims-target-media-free-press/.
    \47\ Amy B Wang, ``White House defends WSJ reporter facing 
harassment over Modi question,'' The Washington Post, June 28, 2023, 
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/06/28/white-house-modi-
reporter-wall-street-journal/.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Additionally, social media users critical of India's draconian 
policies routinely have their accounts restricted at the request of the 
government.\48\ Any criticism of the Modi government can lead to bans 
and attacks by trolls. Individual users have been targeted for 
something as trivial as sharing a BBC documentary that is critical of 
Mr. Modi;\49\ there have also been coordinated campaigns to restrict 
trending topics that peacefully acknowledge India's genocidal violence 
against Sikhs in 1984.\50\ When American social media companies such as 
Meta and Twitter do not comply with takedown requests, their employees 
risk arrests and raids in India.\51\ Former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey 
alleged that the Indian government threatened to ``shut Twitter down'' 
if Twitter did not censor accounts commenting on the Farmers 
Protest.\52\ The Sikh Coalition is also aware of media reporting from 
India that improperly attempts to label Sikhs as terrorists for their 
peaceful political views. Such segments are then immediately followed 
by commentators who advocate for the global extrajudicial murder of 
``terrorists.'' We are deeply alarmed by India's attempts to silence 
journalists, advocates, and nonprofits around the world who are 
critical of the Indian government.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \48\ Yashraj Sharma, ``Twitter accused of censorship in India as it 
blocks Modi critics,'' The Guardian, Apr. 4, 2023, https://
www.theguardian.com/world/2023/apr/05/twitter-accused-of-censorship-in-
india-as-it-blocks-modi-critics-elon-musk.
    \49\ Rhea Mogul, ``India bans BBC documentary on PM Modi's role in 
Gujarat riots.'' CNN, Jan. 23, 2023, https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/23/
business-india/india-modi-bbc-documentary-twitter-youtube-censorship-
intl-hnk/index.html.
    \50\ ``India attempts to censor tweets commemorating `1984 Genocide 
of Sikhs,' '' Tamil Guardian, Sept. 20, 2020, https://
www.tamilguardian.com/content/india-attempts-censor-tweets-
commemorating%E2%80%981984-genocide-sikhs%E2%80%99.
    \51\ Ryan Grim and Murtaza Hussain, ``Elon Musk's Twitter Widens 
Its Censorship of Modi's Critics,'' The Intercept, Mar, 28, 2023, 
https://theintercept.com/2023/03/28/twitter-modi-india-punjab-amritpal-
singh/.
    \52\ Zoya Mateen, ``Jack Dorsey: India threatened to shut Twitter 
and raid employees.'' BBC, Jun. 13, 2023, https://www.bbc.com/news/
world-asia-india-65886825.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    It is not only international NGO's and media suppression that 
indicate India has embraced and continued to permit authoritarianism. 
Prior human rights reports on India from the Department of State, 
spanning at least a decade, indicate long-standing concerns regarding 
India's major human rights issues concerning ``police and security 
force abuses, including extrajudicial killings, torture, and 
rape.''\53\ USCIRF has also detailed religious freedom violations by 
India and made persistent recommendations over the past 4 years to 
designate India as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC).\54\ Earlier 
this month, USCIRF called for a Congressional hearing after reiterating 
its disappointment that the U.S. Department of State yet again failed 
to designate India as a CPC, despite India repeatedly meeting the legal 
standard.\55\ Recommendations made by USCIRF must be adopted without 
political favoritism to ensure that countries such as India are put on 
notice that they cannot operate with impunity. Despite these warning 
signs, the United States is permitting the most egregious perpetrators 
of religious persecution to disregard human rights and democratic 
ideals that promote stability and security in the world.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \53\ ``India 2011 Human Rights and Labor Report: India.'' U.S. 
Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, May 
24, 2012, https://2009-2017.State.gov/documents/organization/
186675.pdf.
    \54\ ``USCIRF Reiterates Concerns on Religious Freedom in India, 
Calls for Release of Religious Prisoners of Conscience,'' U.S. 
Commission on International Religious Freedom, Oct. 3, 2023, https://
www.uscirf.gov/news-room/releases-statements/uscirf-reiterates-
concerns-religious-freedom-india-calls-release.
    \55\ ``USCIRF Calls for Congressional Hearing after State 
Department Fails to Designate Nigeria and India as Countries of 
Particular Concern,'' United States Commission on International 
Religious Freedom, https://www.uscirf.gov/news-room/releases-
statements/uscirf-calls-congressional-hearing-after-state-department-
fails.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
                             iv. conclusion
    India's credibly suspected role in the recent unjustified killing 
of a Canadian citizen without legal process, along with the thwarted 
scheme to eliminate more Sikhs, including those in the United States, 
through illicit methods, suggests that India is attempting to extend 
its authoritarian and religious oppression practices world-wide. This 
alarming trend of disproportionately targeting Sikhs and ignoring the 
rule of law is further substantiated by historical and recent reports 
indicating India's active involvement in establishing similar 
oppressive networks in other countries (such as Canada, the United 
Kingdom, and Germany). It is a clear violation of international norms 
and human rights that cannot be overlooked or tolerated, especially 
within the United States.
                           v. recommendations
    In light of the growing body of evidence and credible reports of 
transnational repression propagated by the government of India, the 
Sikh Coalition recommends the following actions:
Congress:
   Pass legislation and enforce existing laws to address the 
        threat of transnational repression.
     Protect the rights and safety of all individuals, 
            especially those targeted by the malicious behavior of 
            foreign governments, by passing the Transnational 
            Repression Policy Act (H.R. 3654/S. 831).
     Strengthen enforcement mechanisms to hold offenders of 
            transnational repression responsible beyond visa 
            restrictions. The Khashoggi Ban permits visa bans and is 
            the only Federal statute that addresses transnational 
            repression directly. However, more must be done to 
            explicitly authorize sanctions against individuals and 
            entities engaged in transnational repression.
   Provide institutional support and oversight to effectively 
        combat transnational repression.
     Support the documentation efforts of USCIRF by permanently 
            reauthorizing the Congressional body, and passing 
            legislation to reduce Presidential authority to waive 
            taking action against Countries of Particular Concern based 
            on long-standing human rights concerns. USCIRF must also be 
            encouraged to document and report instances of 
            transnational repression committed against religious 
            minorities.
     Ensure greater Congressional oversight into transnational 
            repression by amending Section 6 of the Arms Export Control 
            Act to include a reporting requirement of any instances 
            where the President declines to enforce the law that would 
            prohibit arms transfers to any country determined to be 
            engaged in a consistent pattern of acts of intimidation or 
            harassment against individuals in the United States.
   Prioritize measures that protect all Americans against 
        transnational repression and limit foreign government 
        interference.
     Craft legislation that prohibits a government from 
            employing a registered lobbyist if its country has been 
            designated as a Country of Particular Concern or has 
            engaged in transnational repression to intimidate or harass 
            individuals in the United States.
     Provide asylum pathways for permanent legal status for 
            individuals targeted for transnational repression.
     Provide greater protections for Americans who are targeted 
            for transnational repression but have not yet obtained 
            citizenship. This loophole leaves Americans who are 
            targeted by transnational repression while traveling abroad 
            left with reduced assistance from the U.S. State Department 
            and may require the individual to seek assistance from the 
            nation that is perpetrating the transnational repression.
Congress and the Administration:
   Hold offenders of transnational repression accountable 
        through multilateral actions.
     Similar to actions already taken by Canada, the United 
            States must hold India accountable and suspend trade 
            pending a thorough and complete investigation into India's 
            alleged covert activities against Sikhs.
     Ensure that no foreign government's self-investigation 
            will absolve it of accountability, and obtain concrete 
            assurances that India will cease its transnational 
            targeting.
     Commit multilateral support to Canada and the United 
            Kingdom in efforts to have India comply with investigations 
            requests to determine India's role in transnational 
            repression and foreign interference into domestic affairs 
            at the national, State, and local levels.
     Publicly condemn India's hostile actions and flagrant 
            violations of human rights, the rule of law, and the 
            sovereignty of our Nation. It is also critically important 
            that the United States Government provide public assurances 
            to address the safety and security concerns of Sikhs, other 
            Indian diaspora communities, journalists, human rights 
            advocates, dissidents, and religious minorities in the 
            United States.
   Allocate greater resources to permit the United States to 
        share resources between agencies, law enforcement, and the 
        public to defend and counteract against foreign acts of 
        transnational repression against Americans.
     Grant programs like the Non-Profit Security Grant must 
            provide greater support and access to communities and their 
            houses of worship that are being targeted by foreign 
            nation-states, their criminal proxies, and recruited street 
            forces.
     Appropriate greater resources to Federal agencies tasked 
            with addressing transnational repression to permit these 
            agencies to carry out their duties in defending our Nation 
            and people. These resources must also include public 
            outreach programs, local law enforcement training 
            initiatives, and meaningful allocations for ensuring that 
            the civil rights of Americans are adequately protected.
     Improve and clarify public grant resources to authorize 
            use for defending against acts of translational repression, 
            including the Non-Profit Security Grant Program and other 
            Federal victim support services.
Administration:
   Enforce current laws to better address security threats 
        transnational repression poses to our Nation and its people.
     Pursuant to the Khashoggi Ban, 212(a)(3)(C) of the 
            Immigration and Nationality Act, and the Global Magnitsky 
            Human Rights Accountability Act, prohibit entry into the 
            United States and U.S. property transactions for the 
            individuals involved in the attempted assassination of a 
            Sikh American in New York, including but not limited to the 
            identified government of India employee who is alleged to 
            have directed the attempt.
     Implement the recommendations of the U.S. Government 
            Accountability Office on preventing and addressing 
            transnational repression.
   Address international human rights violations meaningfully 
        and decisively.
     Adopt the recommendation that USCIRF has made for at least 
            the past 4 years to designate India as a Country of 
            Particular Concern.\56\ For the program to have any 
            meaningful impact the President must cease the issuance of 
            waivers to any CPC countries.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \56\ USCIRF Reiterates Concerns on Religious Freedom in India, 
Calls for Release of Religious Prisoners of Conscience,'' U.S. 
Commission on International Religious Freedom, Oct. 3, 2023, https://
www.uscirf.gov/news-room/releases-statements/uscirf-reiterates-
concerns-religious-freedom-india-calls-release.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    It is imperative that the U.S. Government take a strong stand 
against India's escalating violations of human rights and U.S. 
sovereignty. Congress' leadership in this matter is crucial to 
safeguarding not only the Sikh community but also the foundational 
values of our Nation. We thank you for your urgent attention to these 
matters, and welcome any questions or follow-up requests you may have.
                          Appendix.--Exhibit 1
[GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]


    Mr. Pfluger. Mr. Fu, I'll start with you. Thank you for 
being here. You mentioned several recommendations, you know, 
and the story of being surrounded and hearing the chanting of 
``elimination of Bob Fu'' outside your home. I mean, I just 
can't imagine how that feels and the impact that that has on 
you and your family.
    In one of your recommendations--and I didn't think I was 
going to go this way, but you talked about the elimination of 
the ability for the CCP or its entities to be able to purchase 
property in the United States.
    Can you tell us why that's a recommendation and how that 
helps with transnational repression?
    Mr. Fu. Thank you, Chairman. First of all, I want to 
respectfully request the Chairman to allow me to submit that 
document I sent to the committee staff. It was a filed document 
to the U.S. District Court for west Texas documenting the full 
detail of what had happened to my house and the, you know, 
evacuation. I want to submit that as a permanent record for 
this hearing.
    In regard to the--my recommendation on the legislation to 
ban the CCP to build permanent operation bases in the U.S. 
soil, we have witnessed how the Chinese, you know, the CCP 
operating a spy balloon, hovering, you know, in our sovereign 
sky. That, I think, the more dangerous thing is we allow them 
to buy strategic assets, especially the physical--you know, the 
lands and many--even in our Texas soil, we have seen hundreds 
of thousands of acres were purchased. Some were next to--right 
next to our military base.
    I think, I mean, for the CCP, they are not satisfied with 
just self-power kind of posturing. They are--as multiple FBI 
chiefs from our region told me, that they are very patient. 
They can just start planting a small tree, a small plant in 
west Texas and but with the purpose to infiltrate, to harass, 
then to make destructive efforts. Even in the city of Midland, 
Texas, they do that.
    I remember the one--the first year when I moved to west 
Texas, our local FBI chief showed me names on his palm, I mean 
written, which, of course, he walked me on the street and said, 
do you know these people?
    These are White Caucasian Americans in different--with 
different organization associations around Texas. The FBI said 
they had intercepted their messages. So, these people are hired 
by the Chinese Government, CCP funded directly, in order to 
disrupt China Aid and our communication and our freedom 
advancement effort.
    So we can't allow, I think, them to build these permanent 
bases. It's nothing to do--again, I mean some try to frame it, 
including the CCP, as a propaganda, like this somehow is 
Chinese racial profiling or racist, ethnic bias. No, this is 
about our national security.
    So that's why I think it's time for Congress to pass 
legislation. I applaud some States have taken the initiative 
already.
    Mr. Pfluger. Thank you very much.
    I'll move to Mr. Freedom. I know time runs very quickly. We 
previously held a hearing in Energy and Commerce on TikTok. 
Your account was banned previously in the middle of that while 
I was questioning you. The Chinese Communist Party and their 
alliances with TikTok immediately reinstated it.
    Can you tell us how digital authoritarianism has affected 
you and how it affects other people in this repression?
    Mr. Freedom. Of course. You know, we were worried about, 
you know, the Chinese spy balloon over our head, but people 
need to understand that we literally have 160 million spy apps 
in our phone listening to every conversation that we have.
    I actually got a second phone and downloaded TikTok to just 
post things about, you know, China's human rights violations. 
Literally, a week later they banned my account. I was like, 
Well, I thought they were pro-free speech and pro-freedom.
    I mean, as you guys know, that you guys had a hearing about 
with the CEO of TikTok. While you guys were asking him the 
questions, why did you guys, you know, ban Mr. Freedom's 
account, they unbanned me, you know.
    Later on, Washington Post actually did a whole 
investigation. They found out that they did ban me. Also, the 
CEO of TikTok was lying and said, we would not--we didn't ban 
his account and everything.
    But it's a shame, because right now there are millions of 
kids out there in America being brainwashed by the Chinese 
Communist Party, and TikTok is literally ruining the 
generations.
    Mr. Pfluger. My time is expired.
    The Chair now recognizes Ranking Member Mr. Magaziner for 
his questioning.
    Mr. Magaziner. Thank you, Chairman.
    You know, on this topic, 5 minutes is not nearly enough, 
but we're doing our best here.
    Ms. Boyajian, can you just give us sort-of a high level: In 
the United States, which is the jurisdiction of this committee, 
what are the most typical forms of transnational repression? 
What are the most prevalent tactics that we should be focusing 
on on U.S. soil?
    Ms. Boyajian. Thank you for the question. I would note that 
we do have a country case study on the United States if anyone 
is interested in learning more. In terms of our database, which 
is looking at those direct physical threats, the number of U.S. 
cases is actually low, in part, because we are more protected. 
So that case study does describe some of the typical tactics.
    So we hear all the time from activists that we work with, 
like folks sitting next to me, that they receive threatening 
messages via social media or even via phone call, that their 
family members back home are threatened, sometimes even beaten 
up or jailed. It is common to be surveilled. Individuals in the 
United States were targeted with Pegasus spyware.
    We actually had a case of one activist. He's Hong Kong-
American, wanted for arrest in Hong Kong because of his own 
activism to the U.S. Government about human rights abuses in 
Hong Kong. So he was at home in his apartment in California, 
heard a strange noise, looked outside and saw a drone hovering 
outside his apartment, apparently taking pictures. That is the 
only story we've heard like that. Of course, he didn't leap off 
his balcony and tackle the drone and prove that it was linked 
to the government, but it's certainly suspicious.
    So those are common tactics, but we do see governments 
being increasingly brazen. The recent India case, Masih 
Alinejad, folks being beaten up in California that I talked 
about.
    Mr. Magaziner. Thank you.
    Ms. Nia, you, in your testimony, spoke about the legal 
steps that we could take to give prosecutors more tools to go 
after transnational repression. I want to give you some time 
now to expand on that.
    You referenced a couple of pieces of legislation that are 
already pending. Do they incorporate your recommendations, or 
is there more that we could be doing and should be looking at 
legislatively in order to incorporate your suggestions into the 
code?
    Ms. Nia. Thank you. Yes, the Stop Transnational Repression 
Act actually deals with many of the recommendations that I've 
made in the past and that others have made, including a 
provision on extrajudicial killings and also having that 
extraterritorial jurisdiction.
    I think a few things may need to be workshopped as it goes 
along and also in consultation with prosecutors at the DOJ and 
so on, but that pretty adequately covers a lot of those 
provisions. So I definitely recommend folks looking at that.
    I'll also note that there are civil litigation options that 
are also available that I think we need to touch on and that 
could be important. So under the terrorism exception to the 
Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act, individuals, of course, can 
sue state sponsors of terrorism. That includes the Islamic 
Republic of Iran, Syria, North Korea and Cuba, all of whom do 
engage in this sort of activity.
    But right now it's only possible if the plaintiffs were 
U.S. nationals at the time the Act occurred. There is a 
legislative proposal that some offices here have been briefed 
on and that others have been briefed on that would allow 
individuals to sue if they are U.S. nationals or lawful 
permanent residents at the time the claim is brought.
    Because that provision deals with torture, extrajudicial 
killing, and hostage-taking, that could allow newly-arrived 
dissidents who are the target of transnational repression to 
hold the governments of their origin countries accountable.
    The other quick thing I'll touch on is that in terms of 
exceptions to the FISA, the Homeland and Cyber Threat (HACT) 
Act has been introduced and reintroduced before the House since 
2019. That would partly address transnational repression by 
allowing dissidents who are U.S. nationals to sue foreign 
states that launch cyber attacks against them.
    But I'll note that this does not account for private 
companies and their facilitation of the sale of spyware used 
against dissidents, which is one of the hallmarks of the 
transnational repression patterns we look at.
    A series of judgments from the U.S. Supreme Court have 
restricted the possibilities for corporate liability, and this 
negatively impacts the ability of U.S.-based noncitizen 
dissidents to sue companies involved in surveillance. So I 
would recommend that those hurdles in U.S. domestic law be 
addressed and removed.
    Mr. Magaziner. All right. Thank you.
    My time is expired. I'll yield back.
    Mr. Pfluger. Thank you.
    The Chair now recognizes the gentleman from North Carolina, 
Mr. Bishop, for his questioning.
    Mr. Bishop. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
    I want to particularly acknowledge the examples of Dr. Fu 
and Mr. Freedom, your personal examples to the world. You 
inspire others to embrace and stand courageously for freedom in 
the face of these threats from nation-state actors abroad.
    You know, I was listening with interest to your testimony, 
Dr. Fu, about the things we allow, the allowance of purchasing 
land next to military bases. I've listened with interest to the 
proposal, the legislative proposals for change.
    One of the things that's interesting to me--and your 
example, Mr. Freedom, speaks to it loudly--is some of the 
most--some of the wealthiest American business interests that 
engage and advance their own economic success with the Chinese 
Communist Party, or in China, seemingly without regard to the 
abuses that you're describing.
    Some think that you've been retaliated against by the NBA. 
When I was a legislator in North Carolina, the NBA moved its 
All-Star Game out of my own hometown of Charlotte over a bill 
that was designed to provide privacy and protection for women 
in particular in private circumstances.
    Yet the NBA--what you're describing is that the Chinese 
Communist Party is engaged in repression at home and abroad. Is 
that correct, sir?
    Mr. Freedom. Yes, it's correct.
    Mr. Bishop. Why do you believe that a business as powerful 
and world-renowned as the NBA would condemn things like that at 
home, but say nothing about the abuses by the Chinese Communist 
Party that reach out across the world?
    Mr. Freedom. Thank you for your question. So during COVID 
in 2020, you know, NBA took us to our we call it NBA bubble. 
Every coach, every assistant coach, everyone from the NBA said, 
we are not here to play basketball. We are here to talk about 
social justice that are happening in America. That's all we 
care about.
    Mr. Bishop. OK.
    Mr. Freedom. They put BLM logos on the floor. They put 
phrases behind our Jersey, which was controlled by the NBA. We 
couldn't pick. So if you wanted to take a stand with Taiwan, 
stand with Hong Kong, we were not allowed to pick it. So they 
were controlling every word. Every after game, we were having 
conversation about social justice that were happening in 
America. We even said, You know what, we are not even playing 
basketball.
    So a few years later, I started to call out about, you 
know, China for their human rights violations and political 
prisoners and stuff. I mean, right now, there are close to 2, 3 
million Uyghurs in concentration camps getting tortured and 
raped every day. I mean, look at what's happening in Tibet. You 
know, it's pretty much a cultural genocide. I'm sure you guys 
know about what's happening in Hong Kong and Taiwan.
    So I started to, you know, put these messages on my shoes, 
because if you are a kid and if you're watching NBA, you're not 
watching the game, you're watching the shoes and see which 
shoes is the coolest so you can buy those shoes.
    So I literally put this simple message on my shoes: Free 
Tibet, free, you know, Uyghurs, stand with Hong Kong, stand 
with Taiwan. I remember a minute before the game, two gentlemen 
from the NBA that were working for Boston Celtics came to me 
and said, Take your shoes off. I was like, Excuse me? They 
said, Your shoes has been getting so much attention 
internationally, you got to take them off. I was like, am I 
breaking any rules? They said, No, but you have to take them 
off.
    So it was the perfect moment for me, because I was just 
getting ready for my citizenship test. So I closed my eyes. I 
was like, OK, there are 27 amendments, my First Amendment 
freedom of speech. I turned around and said, No, this is my 
freedom of speech. I'm not taking them off.
    The first half, I went back to my locker room and I saw the 
text message from my manager. He said, every Celtics game is 
banned in China. It literally took them 24 minutes--first half, 
you know, first quarter 12 minutes, second quarter 12 minutes--
24 minutes to ban every Celtics game on television.
    So the second half started. That game I played zero 
minutes, which I played every game before that. Obviously, we 
lost the game. After the game--after the game, right, there was 
this huge media storm. Every media outlet wanted to talk to me. 
I was like, You know what, I'm not doing this for attention. 
I'm not going to do it. I'm not going to do any media.
    So after the--you know, after the game, NBPA called me, the 
Players Association. They said, you know what you did. You 
cannot wear those shoes ever again. We've been getting so much 
pressure from the NBA. It literally said, ``Free Tibet.''
    I was like, am I breaking any rules? They said, no, but 
they said, you cannot wear them ever again. So they pressured 
me so much. I was like, you know what, I promise you I'm not 
going to wear Free Tibet shoes ever again. They said, promise? 
I said, promise.
    So the next game I wore Free Uyghur shoes. So they called 
me after the game. They said, you're a liar, you lied to us, 
how could you do that to us? I was like, first of all, I never 
lied to you. I never said, I'm not going to wear Free Uyghur 
shoes. I just said, I'm just not going to wear Free Tibet 
shoes.
    Then later on I realized that, you know, between the 
relationship between NBA and China is around like $5 billion. 
More people watched NBA games in China than our American 
population last year. So I was like, you know what, I want to 
call out the hypocrisy. I want to expose them. I know it's 
going to, you know, cost me my career, but it is what it is. 
Someone has to do it.
    Mr. Bishop. Thank you, Mr. Freedom.
    Dr. Fu, thank you for lighting the flame of freedom and 
protecting it.
    Mr. Chairman, I have to yield. My time is expired. But I 
want to ask unanimous consent to submit for the record the 
document that Dr. Fu referred to in his testimony.
    Mr. Pfluger. So ordered.*
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    * The information has been retained in committee files.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Mr. Bishop. I yield back.
    Mr. Pfluger. The gentleman's time is expired.
    The Chair now recognizes the gentleman from California, Mr. 
Correa, for his questioning.
    Mr. Correa. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I want to thank you 
and the Ranking Member for holding the most important hearing. 
I also want to associate myself with the comments made by my 
colleagues here about the importance of this hearing.
    Your bravery, your integrity, showing up at this hearing, 
is much appreciated. Members of Congress, Congress, I came here 
a number of years ago and I found out that as much as we want 
to plan long-term, we end up managing by crisis. We are trying 
to catch the next one and put out that fire before the other 
two or three light up.
    We need good information to make good decisions here. The 
American public needs to know also, needs to have good relevant 
information. I think that this country, we are blessed because 
the way we founded, the way we wrote our Constitution, the 
First Amendment guarantees freedom of speech, freedom of the 
press. That's sunshine, transparency, that helps a lot in 
keeping corruption at the minimum and also helps us in making 
good decisions.
    So, you know, as I've traveled, as I looked at other parts 
of the world, I notice the one thing that is in danger out 
there are the lives of reporters. Every time you turn around, a 
reporter is getting assassinated, imprisoned somewhere around 
the world because they've criticized a local government, a 
narco-trafficking organization. They've stepped on somebody's 
toes.
    So my thought, my question to you is, knowing that we 
didn't know about your stories here, but people need to know 
about your stories. How can we get them out into the public? 
How can we essentially help reporters do their job and 
hopefully they don't get knocked off or assassinated somewhere?
    The same could be said about our social media platforms. 
How can we make sure that the social media--Mr. Freedom, you 
talked about some instances of essentially, you know, your 
comments, your statements, your image being essentially 
filtered out. Thoughts about how we can move ahead and make 
sure that, you know, that doesn't happen.
    Mr. Freedom, I'll start with you.
    Mr. Freedom. So about the journalists right now, it is real 
because----
    Mr. Correa. It's a big issue.
    Mr. Freedom. Very big issue, because Turkiye, for example, 
my home country, right now, you know, Turkiye is, I believe, 
leading the jailing journalists in the world. These people are 
just--their job is to just write. They're innocent people, you 
know. And actually, I have many friends in jail right now 
suffering just because they were innocent journalists.
    But the social media danger is actually real, because I 
remember the first time I started to have a conversation about, 
you know, the China and their human rights violations, I had 
some conversation with some people in government and they said, 
Listen, you're an NBA player. You're a single NBA player. From 
now on going forward, you will be getting text messages, you 
will be getting WhatsApp calls, Instagram DMs, or social media 
DMs from one of the most beautiful girls in the world. Do not 
answer them. They're Chinese spies.
    I promise you, for the last year-and-a-half I have been 
getting lots of messages from girls, very beautiful girls, and 
I don't even know if they really want me for me or they're 
spies, you know. So it's very confusing. The danger is real. 
But breaks my----
    Mr. Correa. I want to hear from the others as well, if I 
can. Ms. Boyajian.
    Ms. Boyajian. Yes. I would just expand on your very 
excellent and correct point. We had a report come out in 
December that was focused on transnational repression against 
journalists. It is a tactic that we see increasing.
    So, of the 854 cases in our database, 112 of those, 13 
percent of all of our cases involved journalists. They are 
under extreme threat. So, a key way that we can support free 
speech is helping support these journalists when they face 
threats.
    We have a Freedom in the World report that looks at 
political rights and civil liberties around the world. We just 
had the 50th anniversary of our report last year. That report 
showed that freedom of expression is one of the first areas 
targeted and has seen a steep decline.
    So I think----
    Mr. Correa. Ms. Nia, in my 17 seconds left?
    Ms. Nia. I was just going to say that, on the topic of 
journalism, we also need to recognize, sort-of, new-media 
journalists that don't always fall into the definition of 
traditional journalists but who face those very same exact 
risks. So I would recognize that under the law.
    Mr. Correa. Mr. Chairman, thank you. I'm out of time, so I 
yield.
    Mr. Pfluger. The gentleman's time has expired.
    The Chair now recognizes the gentleman from New York, Mr. 
D'Esposito.
    Mr. D'Esposito. Well, thank you, Mr. Chairman.
    I think what we've realized today is that the Chinese 
Communist Party is a threat. Most certainly it's a threat to 
Mr. Freedom's love life, but it is also a threat to our 
freedom, it's a threat to your freedom, and it's a threat to 
national security.
    Before coming to Congress, I was blessed and lucky enough 
to serve as a member of the New York City Police Department, 
retired there as a detective, and had a pretty good 
understanding of the men and women who were law enforcement 
professionals in New York. Never once did I see a patch on 
anyone's uniform from the Chinese Communist Party. But, as you 
all know, we discovered a Chinese police station where the 
purpose was for officers to monitor, harass, and intimidate 
Chinese dissidents.
    Dr. Fu, in your testimony, you shared the things that you 
and your family have endured back home. As someone who has been 
targeted by the Chinese Communist Party, not only do these bold 
actions surprise you, but if you could imagine, I mean, how 
many other cities and places throughout this country is this 
happening?
    Mr. Fu. Thank you, Congressman.
    This kind of activities by the CCP, I think, has been 
happening to multiple, multiple cities, actually, even during 
the period of time where my house was being surrounded, you 
know, by those mask-wearing thugs, from San Francisco to New 
York and Houston. They were bussed there, living in luxury 
hotels in Odessa, Texas. They are--it happened in Toronto; 
happened in Los Angeles; San Francisco; Washington, DC; 
Virginia.
    I have a friend, actually, who's a social--YouTuber, a 
broadcaster, who has a huge following. His name is Wu Jianmin. 
He was a former Tiananmen Square student leader. His house was 
being also surrounded in California. The California police 
basically went to--told him, when his house was totally 
surrounded--and his children could not even go to school. He 
was told, if you stop broadcasting your dissident program on 
YouTube, these people will leave.
    So that's their sole purpose. They want to silence our 
voice.
    Mr. D'Esposito. I think what's scary about it, it's not 
being hidden. This is right out in the open, and they are very 
clear about the threats that they're posing to all of us.
    I appreciate that.
    I just want to switch gears for a second.
    Ms. Boyajian, you mentioned in your testimony the 
possibility of a Federal Law Enforcement Training Center 
training on transnational repression. I know that FLETC does a 
lot of work across the Nation. As a matter of fact, they--I 
partnered with them this morning, back home on Long Island, 
with Congressman Garbarino and LaLota, hosting a human-
trafficking awareness training.
    What would the benefits of developing a FLETC training 
specific to this--what benefits would it serve to local law 
enforcement agencies?
    Ms. Boyajian. I think if you develop a course at FLETC, you 
have the benefit of being able to get standardized training to 
a high number of individuals. Because it's not just local law 
enforcement coming through, obviously. It's other Federal 
agencies. It's even partners, State-level.
    Being able to have that standardized training--I think 
there are a lot of ways you can do the training also. It could 
be flexible. It could be in person, could be virtual. You know, 
it could be--I think it is very important--when folks are new, 
they are inundated with training, so being able to have 
training throughout the course of someone's career would also 
be very important.
    Mr. D'Esposito. So I agree with you. I think that there's--
there needs--there's a need for standardized training in law 
enforcement and when it comes to other issues as well.
    Can you talk briefly--we've got about 40 seconds to go--how 
familiar--I know we mentioned Federal law enforcement agencies, 
but, obviously, communication is key. How familiar is State and 
local law enforcement with the issue of transnational 
repression?
    Ms. Boyajian. Not very. I would say it wildly varies.
    So, for the State and local folks who have diaspora 
communities that are targeted--New York and California, for 
example--the FBI has been working extensively with them. DHS is 
also doing community engagement.
    But our Federalized system makes it tricky, and so it--bang 
for your buck. If there's a way to get a high number of 
individuals at once, there's much more that needs to be done 
there.
    Mr. D'Esposito. There's only so much they can do with the 
resources they have. So it seems like we have work to do.
    Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. I yield back.
    Mr. Pfluger. The gentleman's time has expired.
    The Chair now recognizes the gentleman from New York, Mr. 
Goldman.
    Mr. Goldman. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. Thank you 
for putting together this hearing. I appreciate--I think it's a 
very important issue for all of us and all of our districts, 
and it's nice to have some bipartisanship here.
    I come from the 10th District of New York, lower Manhattan 
and northwest Brooklyn, home to Manhattan's historic Chinatown 
and Brooklyn's growing Chinatown. It's also the district where 
those two arrests were of the, sort-of, outpost police--CCP 
police station.
    It is of significant concern to many members of my 
community, because, Mr. Fu, as you just said, the point is to 
silence people. It is not necessarily to have people removed or 
to send them back to China, but it is just simply to make sure 
that they are not speaking out against the Chinese Government, 
and in my district often that also means in support of the 
Taiwanese Government.
    Several of you have talked about the two bills that are 
pending or have been introduced in Congress, the Stop 
Transnational Repression Act, and the--I always get them mixed 
up--the Transnational Repression Policy Act, both of which I am 
a cosponsor of.
    One of the things that I wanted to ask you about is the 
importance of allowing the Department of Justice to take the 
lead because of connections between some of these dissident 
police stations with organized crime.
    Maybe, Ms. Boyajian, you can address, you know, what 
research you have done on those connections.
    Ms. Boyajian. Sure.
    So there's an organization called Safeguard Defenders that 
did the police stations report that many of you are referring 
to.
    I would say, in terms of which law enforcement entity is 
best placed, I think this is an issue that crosses 
jurisdictions, and there's a very important role for DOJ, for 
the FBI, for Homeland Security Investigations.
    We don't have access to the information that would let us 
say, ``A-ha, these folks are best,'' but there is an absolute 
need for folks to coordinate.
    I don't know, Gissou, perhaps you have more you'd want to 
add on that component.
    Ms. Nia. I would just say that--I mean, I--you know, 
honestly, I yield my time, because I'm sure other people have 
more things to say on this. Yes.
    Mr. Goldman. I appreciate that.
    I think it's very noteworthy that we do have two pieces of 
legislation that are bipartisan. I certainly would hope that, 
as we move past these budget discussions, that some of these 
bipartisan pieces of legislation can come to the floor and 
become law. Because, as you all have explained, I think, very 
well, the need to address this issue is becoming more and more 
acute.
    Ms. Boyajian, the interesting thing is, if we move away, I 
think, from China, where else do you see the transnational 
repression growing?
    Ms. Boyajian. So we actually are going to be releasing 
updated database numbers in mid-February. I'm very sorry; I was 
not allowed to leak it today.
    I would say, we do see an increasing number of governments 
engaging in transnational repression. This is, in part, because 
technology makes it so cheap and easy to target folks even 
after they have fled abroad.
    But we do have concerns in the United States, particularly 
with some of the countries I mentioned--so Saudi Arabia, 
Rwanda, China, Belarus, Turkiye. We hear first-hand accounts 
from folks from those countries being targeted, primarily for 
surveillance and harassment and threats.
    Mr. Goldman. Then, finally, Mr. Freedom, I want to go to 
you, because Turkiye has been and Mr. Erdogan, in particular, 
has been increasingly in the news as he continues to crack down 
on your fellow native Turkish folks.
    I guess, from your perspective, what should we be paying 
close attention to as it relates to Mr. Erdogan and the Turkish 
Government?
    Mr. Freedom. So thank you for your question.
    So Turkiye is a NATO ally, but I feel like it does not act 
like a NATO ally. I believe Turkiye is the Trojan horse for 
Putin in NATO.
    Actually, just very recently, Erdogan started to put bounty 
on people's heads. These are innocent journalists, these are 
innocent civilians. Many of them is actually American citizens 
that lives in the United States.
    I think, you know, condemning this kind of, I'll say, 
dictatorship is not enough. I believe we need concrete actions. 
I believe we need to put Magnitsky sanctions on individuals in 
Turkiye, and I believe that will shake up the whole regime. You 
know, because Erdogan, I don't think he understands from a--
soft talk. Soft talk against the dictatorships never worked.
    So there's actually a bill that we are going to put out 
there, this Turkey Human Rights Promotion Act. So, once we put 
it out there, I hope that many Members of the Congress will 
sign it and pass it. It's asking to put Magnitsky sanctions on 
individuals and asking to care about human rights and literally 
free the political prisoners over there.
    Mr. Goldman. Thank you.
    Mr. Chairman, appreciate it. Yield back.
    Mr. Pfluger. The gentleman's time has expired.
    The Chair now recognizes the gentleman from Arizona, Mr. 
Crane, for his questioning.
    Mr. Crane. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for holding this 
hearing today.
    Thank you guys for coming.
    I want to especially thank Dr. Fu and Mr. Freedom for your 
leadership and courage on this issue. I know it can't be easy 
to do that.
    I hope that Americans that are watching this--I mean, a lot 
of Americans, Mr. Freedom, look up to you because you play--you 
were good at basketball, and God blessed you with, you know, 
height and skill and all that. But I hope Americans watching 
this really appreciate your courage, because you're one of the 
few that actually is willing to set aside their own personal 
career and their ability to gain, you know, resources and fame 
and all that for something bigger. So thank you for doing that.
    Now I want to ask you guys some serious questions.
    Neither of you guys were born here, Dr. Fu or Mr. Freedom, 
right? You guys weren't born here in America, but you came here 
to this country, right, hoping to, you know, maybe have a 
better life? Is that--would you say that?
    Mr. Freedom. [Nonverbal response.]
    Mr. Fu. [Nonverbal response.]
    Mr. Crane. Thank you.
    Mr. Freedom, did you ever think that when you came to the 
United States of America you'd see Chinese spy balloons flying 
over the country?
    Mr. Freedom. Definitely not.
    Mr. Crane. Did you think that you--you or--this is for you, 
too, Dr. Fu: Did you think you would encounter this type of 
repression from the Chinese Communist Party? Did you think it'd 
be allowed here in the United States of America?
    Mr. Fu. Definitely not. It was very surreal when those 
people showed up in west Texas. I remember some of our cowboys 
tried to work something out, but our church actually 
encouraged----
    Mr. Crane. Yes.
    Mr. Fu [continuing]. To give them water, to love them----
    Mr. Crane. Yes.
    Mr. Fu [continuing]. Instead. But this is very surreal. I 
think----
    Mr. Crane. Yes, I bet.
    Mr. Fu. Yes.
    Mr. Crane. Mr. Freedom, why do you think it's allowed here? 
Why do you think this--we allow Chinese police stations here in 
the United States of America? Why do you think you see Chinese 
spy balloons flying over the United States? Why do you think 
individuals like you and Dr. Fu are oppressed here as American 
citizens?
    Mr. Freedom. The more I research, the more I realize the 
NBA is not the only one. I mean, you see Hollywood, Wall 
Street, academias, Big Tech, you know, Wall Street, many of 
them is pretty much--is partly controlled by the Chinese 
Government because of money.
    Mr. Crane. Money. That's right. That's what it is, isn't 
it, sir? It's not just the NBA.
    Mr. Freedom. Not just NBA, no.
    Mr. Crane. It's--both of you guys count on the U.S. 
Government, to some extent, for your own protection. Is that 
correct?
    Mr. Freedom. Sure. Yes.
    Mr. Fu. [Nonverbal response.]
    Mr. Crane. Yes. Money.
    Does it bother either of you guys--and you guys are both 
truth-tellers, and you guys have a lot of courage to be here. 
But I'm going to take it one step further: Does it bother 
either of you guys that this current administration and the 
family of this current administration has taken money, millions 
of dollars, from the CCP?
    Does that bother you, Mr. Freedom? Does it concern you?
    Mr. Freedom. Yes. Of course.
    Mr. Crane. Dr. Fu, does it concern you?
    Mr. Fu. Of course it is very concerning. This is just a 
reflection of how--the CCP's effort for years. It's not just 
for, you know, in the past few years.
    But I just feel it's very concerning to see, when a group 
of dissidents, you know, welcoming the Taiwan President in 
Manhattan, on the streets of Manhattan, in New York, and 5 were 
beaten violently and sent to hospital by the Chinese Government 
hard thugs on our soil, and, so far, no one is being held 
accountable, not----
    Mr. Crane. Yes. That's interesting.
    Mr. Fu [continuing]. A single one. Why?
    Mr. Crane. Dr. Fu, do you think that--we have the Hunter 
Biden laptop, which has all sorts of, you know, very, you know, 
disturbing information--photographs, text messages, emails--on 
it. Do you think the CCP might have their own copy, their own 
information on the President's son, Mr. Freedom?
    Mr. Freedom. Of course. Not only him but whoever is using 
TikTok, yes, they have all their informations----
    Mr. Crane. Yes.
    Mr. Freedom [continuing]. One hundred sixty million people.
    Mr. Crane. Yes. That's interesting.
    Mr. Freedom, are you familiar--aware of the fact that 
Hunter Biden; James Biden; Sara Jones Biden; Hallie Biden; 
Kathleen Buhle; Melissa Cohen, Hunter Biden's current wife; two 
children of Joe Biden's sons; Joe Biden's brother's child have 
all received money that was doled out from--that originated 
from foreign countries?
    Mr. Freedom. I know some of it, but I didn't know the whole 
thing.
    Mr. Crane. Yes.
    Are either of you familiar with the term ``elite capture''? 
``Elite capture''?
    Mr. Freedom. No.
    Mr. Crane. That's where a foreign country uses money and 
other things to influence and often co-opt high-ranking 
officials. Are you guys familiar with that?
    Mr. Freedom. Well, I actually tried to have a meeting with 
President Biden and also someone from the administration, and I 
got turned down every time.
    Mr. Crane. Imagine that.
    Mr. Freedom. Turkish Government put a bounty on my head, 
actually. I was like, I'm a U.S. citizen, and a foreign 
government is doing it in U.S. soil. This is unacceptable, and 
I would like to talk to my President or someone from the 
administration.
    One of the Senators, who's a Democrat, said, this is not 
going to happen, because, unfortunately, the President is 
scared of Erdogan because of Erdogan is a NATO ally and he 
doesn't want to piss him off.
    Mr. Crane. Well, the last thing I want to say--and thank, 
Mr. Chairman, for giving me extra time--again, thank you guys. 
What you are doing is monstrously courageous, and we appreciate 
you guys. I think it's pathetic that you've come here to the 
United States and this is what the country has turned into. So 
thank you guys for doing what you're doing.
    I yield back.
    Mr. Pfluger. Thank you.
    The gentleman's time has expired.
    The Chair now recognizes the gentlelady from Nevada, Ms. 
Titus.
    Ms. Titus. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
    Thank you to the witnesses.
    Nice to see you again, Mr. Freedom.
    You know, before we get too carried away throwing out 
accusations about children taking money because they're part of 
the Biden family, let me remind you, it's not just about taking 
money; there is situations where the person who is in the White 
House has rented rooms to people from foreign countries in his 
hotel; whose daughter has made franchise deals with certain 
foreign powers; who has sold products and scholarships to 
certain foreign powers.
    So let's be a little careful about how we throw out those 
accusations. People in glass houses--you know the saying.
    But what I wanted to talk about is my district, Las Vegas. 
You know, we're the home of a lot of big events--New Year's 
Eve; we had the F1 race; we're going to have--the Super Bowl is 
coming up. So there's a lot of transit, a lot of people in and 
out, a lot of people from all over the world.
    So what's happened is that the FBI and Las Vegas has 
announced a new awareness program. It's in coordination with 
our U.S. attorney and a digital solutions company to try to put 
out information, try to gather information, try to see if some 
of this, kind-of, transnational repression might be going on or 
passing through the district.
    I just wonder if any of you--and we'll start with you, Ms. 
Boyajian--is that close enough?--are aware of these kind of 
programs in other major cities, if they work, how we could do 
them better, how you see that playing out.
    Ms. Boyajian. Public-private partnerships on this issue in 
coordination with law enforcement are very important. Our 
understanding is that, actually, the billboards in Las Vegas 
are some of the first of its kind in terms of an awareness-
raising effort.
    It can be a challenge for communities that have 
traditionally been targeted by law enforcement in their home 
country to then have law enforcement as the primary 
interlocutor with them. It can be a very scary thing.
    So government has been making an effort to partner with 
trusted civil society organizations and do some of this 
community outreach. That is an effective way. You know, 
there's--that's a one-off, and it can be slow, but that can be 
very effective, yes.
    Ms. Titus. Uh-huh.
    We have a center, like, a fusion center, where a lot of 
this information is shared and law enforcement goes on across 
government bodies--State, local, Federal--as well as with 
private entities. Because Las Vegas probably has the best eye-
in-the-sky private security of anyplace around. So to take 
advantage of that, I think, is a good idea.
    Ms. Boyajian. Yes. It's great for folks to understand, OK, 
these are the rights I have here in the United States, here's 
digital security trainings I can take, this is where I report 
if I'm targeted.
    Ms. Titus. I believe you also mentioned that there are some 
steps that Congress can take, and one of the things would be 
codifying what transnational repression is so we can go after 
it through more legal means.
    Would you talk a little more about that and what are some 
of the legal things we can do besides, maybe, sanctions or----
    Ms. Boyajian. Establishing a definition is very, very 
important, because everything else you do stems from that. What 
is transnational repression? All of your trainings, your 
criminal law will stem from that. Your ability to support folks 
who have been targeted, your ability to welcome people who 
might need emergency visas--all of that stems from that 
definition.
    I would also, if I may--accountability has come up a lot 
during this hearing and rightly so. It's a very important 
point. I would say, there are two big ways that we can 
strengthen accountability in the United States.
    As we are more aware of this issue happening on U.S. soil, 
it is very, very important that we impose meaningful measures 
of accountability. So, when we can charge with criminal law, we 
should. When we can impose sanctions, we should.
    You know, I do wonder, if the United States and other 
democracies had imposed more meaningful accountability measures 
on folks involved in the murder of Jamal Khashoggi from Saudi 
Arabia, would we have seen India allegedly doing what it was 
doing?
    I think the other key piece that I know you are also 
engaged on is, there is the misconception that abuses abroad 
have no impact on us here in the United States. In fact, as you 
can see, transnational repression, it illustrates starkly how 
that is not the case.
    So you all are dealing with the budget now. Investment in 
human rights and democracy overseas will help strengthen the 
security of Americans.
    Ms. Titus. Do some other countries have some definitions 
that they use that we might find helpful?
    Ms. Boyajian. So there is some interesting work. Sweden has 
a law on refugee espionage, so that is--it is illegal there if 
you're coming and specifically surveilling refugee communities, 
and we have shared that. Some countries deal with this as 
foreign interference.
    But, actually, the United States really is looked to as the 
leader. As we engage with other governments, they have also 
been engaging with FBI and others to really figure out what 
should a definition look like.
    Ms. Titus. Thank you.
    I yield back.
    Mr. Pfluger. The gentlelady's time has expired.
    We will now enter a second round of questioning. I have 
been very lenient on the time; however, I know there are 
multiple other hearings and Members have other commitments, so 
I will end it right at 5 minutes. Just a fair warning to 
everybody when you hear the gavel.
    I'll now recognize myself.
    We talked about, you know, some of the other things that 
can be done. I think this highlights--and, especially, my 
colleague Mr. D'Esposito was talking about some of the efforts. 
I think this highlights why DHS, specifically HSI, should be 
involved in combating transnational repression and how they can 
work with the FBI. So we're going to continue to look at that 
and already have a plan here in this committee.
    Mr. Freedom, I will ask my Democrat colleagues to help you 
get that meeting with the President. I think it's incredibly 
important. I think he would want to hear what you have to say.
    Very briefly, I mean, what's the message, in 30 seconds or 
less, that you want to deliver?
    Mr. Freedom. It actually really, you know, shocked me and 
broke my heart, because I asked the Senator, I was like, 
listen, I want to talk to him about my family, my family 
situation, what can we do to help people over there. Because 
there are thousands of people are suffering over there. I don't 
want to talk about the politics side of it; I want to talk 
about the human rights and political prisoners over there.
    When he turned around and said to me, well, just because of 
Turkiye is a NATO ally and, pretty much, President Biden is 
afraid of, you know, Erdogan, this meeting is not going to 
happen.
    I started to ask this question myself: We are in America. 
We are talking about the most powerful man in the world. We're 
talking about the most powerful house in the world. How can 
this happen, you know?
    But if I have a conversation with him, I will definitely 
sit down and talk about my family situation, because I have not 
seen them for 10 years just because of I wanted to talk about 
the violations over there, you know?
    But I hope this meeting can happen and we can sit down and 
find some concrete actions. Because these kind of 
dictatorships, they don't care about, you know, condemning or 
soft talk.
    Mr. Pfluger. Well, thank you for that.
    In your testimony previously, you mentioned how the 
different areas are being used, whether it's Wall Street, 
potentially academia. This is something that this committee has 
actually studied, which is the Confucius Institutes. We have 
legislation that would limit those institutes that are taking 
money from CCP-linked entities--that they would not be able to 
receive Federal aid.
    So I want to start with--actually, I'll start just down the 
line. We have 2\1/2\ minutes left.
    So, Ms. Boyajian, can you tell us the link between 
Confucius Institutes and transnational repression and give us 
examples?
    Ms. Boyajian. I can't give you super-detailed examples. But 
we have done work looking at Confucius Institutes, and, also, 
there are Confucius Classrooms, which is the K-12 age group. 
There have been reports--you know, in order to get hired there, 
you have to be vetted by folks linked with the PRC. So freedom 
of speech is limited, and there have been anecdotal reports of 
folks being surveilled when they participate in those.
    Mr. Pfluger. So do you believe that Confucius Institutes 
are or have been used in order to repress thought, ideas, and 
even students?
    Ms. Boyajian. Certainly to repress freedom of expression, 
and it's theoretically possible beyond that.
    Mr. Pfluger. Dr. Fu.
    Mr. Fu. The whole Confucius Institutes and the--is a 
mechanism, and including the so-called Confucius Classrooms. 
They even proposed to establish every--establish a Confucius 
Classroom in every Texas public school, and it was--
fortunately, it was killed.
    But the whole thing was totally, fully, completely funded 
by the Chinese Communist Party's funding. All their teachers 
had been vetted; recruited the Communist Party loyalists with 
an ideological-driven agenda to come here.
    So it is a very clear state-sponsored. To say the least, 
it's propaganda, but it's more even than--more than that. More 
likely, it's intelligence-gathering. They wouldn't----
    Mr. Pfluger. I'll go to----
    Mr. Fu [continuing]. Invite me and Mr. Freedom to be there 
to do a lecture.
    Mr. Pfluger. I'll go to Ms. Nia now.
    Any insight onto this?
    Ms. Nia. Yes. I agree with what my fellow witnesses say. I 
also want to say that this playbook is replicated by other 
countries as well. So the Islamic Republic of Iran has cultural 
centers here that are very much intended to carry out a lot of 
the same activity. We can go down the list. But it's very 
important to keep that in mind.
    The other thing that I'll say is, just on the global point, 
that because we have such a focus here on what the CCP is 
doing, and to protect Uyghurs and others who are in their line 
of fire, we also have to look at U.S. allies, like Saudi Arabia 
and Egypt, who are repatriating Uyghur dissidents back to 
China. This is why the global coordination piece along with our 
allies is so key.
    Mr. Pfluger. Do you believe it's important for President 
Biden to meet with Mr. Enes Kanter Freedom?
    Ms. Nia. Of course.
    Mr. Pfluger. Thank you.
    My time has expired.
    I now recognize the Ranking Member, Mr. Magaziner.
    Mr. Magaziner. Thank you, Chairman.
    Ms. Nia, in your testimony, you wrote about use of Red 
Notices, INTERPOL Red Notices, to try to force detention and 
extradition of targets of transnational repression. I believe 
this--if I heard correctly, I believe that Mr. Freedom has 
experienced this.
    Can you explain just a little bit more about how that works 
and what, if anything, can be done about it?
    Ms. Nia. Absolutely.
    There is a lot of discussion of reform of INTERPOL. 
INTERPOL's leadership is also headed by human-rights violators. 
So I should note that this is sort-of an institutional problem, 
because we don't really have people at the helm that are, sort-
of, espousing the values that we'd like to see there.
    But a typical example of this would be, if a country issues 
some sort of extradition notice or requests that somebody come 
back to their country, normally the charges are terrorism or 
something that might be trumped up and not fully supported, and 
then these, sort-of, Red Notices are issued. So, a lot of 
times, the institution is weaponized.
    A lot of Hollywood movies have made it seem like there's a, 
sort-of, INTERPOL law enforcement. You know, that's not really 
how this goes, right? So we know that it's really reliant on 
the national authorities in the different countries where they 
allege perpetrators or suspects are to take action.
    So that's why it's so important to inform from the local to 
the national levels around the world about what transnational 
repression is, why a Uyghur dissident is not a terrorist, you 
know, and to really go through that understanding, because a 
lot of law enforcement is just not aware.
    Mr. Magaziner. OK. Thank you.
    Then, you know, Dr. Fu and Mr. Freedom, again, we thank you 
very much for your courage in telling your stories, but, as you 
both have noted, you are hardly the only people in the United 
States or elsewhere who have been the victims of this type of 
harassment.
    Using this public platform that we have, just from a human 
level, what advice or encouragement do you have to others who 
may be experiencing similar things and don't know what to do 
about it?
    Dr. Fu.
    Mr. Fu. Thank you.
    I would encourage, No. 1, better coordination between the 
Federal and the local law enforcement. I think whenever this 
happens, these cases of transnational repression, on the street 
of Manhattan or San Francisco, there should be real law 
enforcement follow-up. I mean, those perpetrators should be 
held accountable.
    Also, I think the Members of Congress should not be hired 
by the CCP to lobby for, you know, their repression tools. I 
mean, I'm not talking--this is not really a partisan issue, and 
the CCP really, I mean, hired Members from both parties. I 
mean, you have former Speaker John Boehner, a Republican; you 
have this former Senator, Joe Lieberman. They're all hired as a 
CCP lobbyist to really engage in this kind of campaign. I think 
that's really an embarrassment. I think we should discourage 
them to do so.
    Mr. Magaziner. Well, thank you, Dr. Fu.
    Mr. Freedom, you know, I'm a big Boston Celtics fan, so 
I've rooted for you on the court, and we're all----
    Mr. Freedom. I appreciate that.
    Mr. Magaziner [continuing]. We're all rooting for you off 
the court now.
    Mr. Freedom. Thank you.
    Mr. Magaziner. So, to others who have experienced the type 
of harassment that you have, what would you say to them, and 
what advice would you have?
    Mr. Freedom. Well, first of all, I want to say, you know, 
just speak up. Unfortunately, many of my teammates are scared 
to speak up.
    I remember, once we were going through this stuff, many of 
them come up to me and said, you know, we love you, we support 
you, you know, keep doing what you're doing, but don't expect 
us to go out there and, you know, speak up for you, because--I 
was like, why? They said, well, we have shoe deals, endorsement 
deals, we want to get another contract.
    I asked them one simple question. I was like, put yourself 
in their shoes. If your mother, if your sister, if your 
daughter was in those concentration camps getting tortured and 
raped every day, would you still pick money and business over 
your morals, values, and principles? They usually turn around 
and leave the room.
    So I feel like we have to put some kind of, you know, 
pressure on these organizations and, you know, companies. 
Because look at what Nike is doing. Nike speaks for Black Lives 
Matter in America, Latino community, LGBTQ community, you know, 
No Asian Hate. But when it comes to China, everybody knows 
about, you know, the slave labor.
    So we've got to do whatever we can to hold these companies 
and organizations accountable, because they're making billions 
of dollars. They care about the problems that are happening in 
America, but anywhere else they're silent. Whoever speaks up 
about these issues, you know, they are trying to shut them off. 
So we've got to put some kind of, you know, pressure on these 
organizations.
    Mr. Magaziner. Thank you very much.
    Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent for Ms. Jackson Lee 
to sit with the subcommittee and question today's witnesses.
    Mr. Pfluger. So ordered.
    The gentleman's time has expired.
    The Chair now recognizes the gentleman from North Carolina, 
Mr. Bishop.
    Mr. Bishop. This hearing gets more and more interesting.
    I'm going to sort-of return to the subject, Mr. Freedom, 
that you spoke about. The last time, I had an opportunity to 
ask questions about--and you've spoken about it more--the NBA's 
role, but not just the NBA.
    Before I ask you a question, Dr. Fu, I'm going to actually 
go to you. In the moment--or, the time since we asked last 
questions, I had an opportunity--staff brought me the complaint 
that you described in your testimony about the people who were 
incited to protest outside your house.
    I see that the defendant in that--and I hate even to say 
this in public, but--it's Guo Wengui? Is that how you say the 
name? ``Miles Guo,'' as we say that name.
    Mr. Fu. Yes.
    Mr. Bishop. As I've just done a little research on him, I--
he appears in my social media thread a lot. I mean, not him 
personally, but people advocating for this person. I don't know 
anything about him. I looked him up, and I understand he's a 
Chinese billionaire. He's under indictment. He just pleaded not 
guilty to a number of accusations in a superseding indictment.
    But he got out of your lawsuit when he filed a bankruptcy 
case in the district of Connecticut. Subsequently that didn't 
go too well for him, so he sort-of put that on ice. He's 
alleged to have incited the same sort of harassment that you 
describe against the United States trustee in the bankruptcy 
proceeding that he was involved in.
    So, now--but do that I understand you contend that Mr. 
Miles Guo, Guo Wengui, is acting on behalf of the Chinese 
Communist Party? Is that your allegation? I'm not saying 
whether it's right or wrong, but is that your allegation?
    Mr. Fu. Yes. When those people were sent by him from all 
over the United States to attack and harass me and my family, I 
was searching really, very hard, like, what did I do to him? 
How much--I mean, I have nothing, no business dealings, no 
relationship with him prior at all. So the only conclusion is, 
he must have a task to destroy our work of human rights and 
religious freedom.
    Mr. Bishop. You believe he does that on behalf of the 
Chinese Communist Party?
    Mr. Fu. I'm pretty sure he has a task.
    Mr. Bishop. So it gets to be--this gets to be very 
complicated.
    Ms. Nia, Ms. Boyajian, you have--I mean, to the point, 
NBA--one of the things you spoke out about, Mr. Freedom, is 
that Nike, according to reports, came to the Hill and lobbied 
to weaken the Uyghur Forced Labor Protect---Prevention Act----
    Mr. Freedom. Prevention Act.
    Mr. Bishop [continuing]. That passed a couple of years ago.
    Mr. Freedom. Yep.
    Mr. Bishop. So was Nike acting on behalf of the Chinese 
Communist Party in trying to weaken that legislation as it was 
being considered by Congress?
    Mr. Freedom. I mean, yes. Look at the numbers. You know, 
there are, you know, really good players in the NBA, and many 
of them are signed by Nike. Think about all the jersey sales, 
TV deals, think about all the shoe sales and product sales in 
China, you know? So, yes----
    Mr. Bishop. Yes, yes. Oh, no, I get it. I get that their 
economic interests are linked. I think it's reprehensible. I 
mean, I think corporate America needs to show the courage that 
the two of you have shown.
    Mr. Freedom. Uh-huh.
    Mr. Bishop. I appreciate what you've done.
    But it begs this very interesting question: Ms. Nia, you're 
familiar with the FARA, Foreign Agents Registration Act, right? 
The definition of what a foreign agent is, what an agent is, in 
that legislation, is quite broad compared to what an agent is 
considered in State law.
    Mr. Freedom. Yep.
    Mr. Bishop. So it can be somebody who's just carrying on 
the agenda of a foreign hostile power, right?
    Ms. Nia. Yes. I'll note that there are some proposals for 
FARA reform in terms of----
    Mr. Bishop. Sure.
    Ms. Nia [continuing]. Wanting to have lawyers disclose, you 
know, who they're representing and things like that.
    Mr. Bishop. Yes, yes, yes.
    Ms. Nia. But on the question of corporate liability, it 
gets quite sticky. In this country, we've had a lot of high 
court rulings, so the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled over and 
over again in a way that actually restricts the ability to hold 
corporations accountable for human rights violations and 
atrocity crimes, which do comprise a lot of the components of 
transnational repression that we're discussing here.
    Mr. Bishop. Would those conclusions be affected by the 
legislation that you've made reference to that's pending before 
Congress or not?
    Ms. Nia. Yes.
    Mr. Bishop. Interesting. So that--it gets--it gets pretty 
complicated. But at the end of the day, it works out to be 
probably a question of courage and of integrity.
    Well, you see a lot of actors in the picture, a lot of very 
wealthy people who are pursuing, as Mr. Crane said, money. But 
they allow, in the name of their making money, grotesque acts 
by hostile actors across the world.
    I appreciate the degree--you know, the way in which all of 
you have devoted your efforts to resisting that, and you're to 
be congratulated for it.
    Thank you very much.
    Ms. Boyajian. Briefly, on the point of proxies, very 
quickly, if I may?
    I would just flag two things for the committee. We do see 
an increasing use of, sort-of, bad guys for hire. We also see 
the Government of China, for example, engaging private 
investigators, who did not know that they were involved in the 
commission of transnational repression.
    We would certainly say that corporations have a role to 
play. We see this through the use of spyware, where people are 
indiscriminately selling their products. Commerce has listed 
some of these corporations on the Entity List, but much more 
can be done there.
    Mr. Bishop. Thank you.
    Mr. Pfluger. Very interesting.
    The gentleman's time has expired.
    The Chair now recognizes the gentleman from New York, Mr. 
D'Esposito.
    Mr. D'Esposito. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
    Mr. Freedom, so in 2019 you posted, or you tweeted--now X--
listing some of the issues that you were facing at the time as 
a result of repression from the Chinese Communist Party.
    Mr. Freedom. Uh-huh.
    Mr. D'Esposito. You said, and quote, ``Haven't seen or 
talked to my family in 5 years. Jailed my dad. My siblings 
can't find jobs. Revoked my passport. International arrest 
warrant. My family can't leave the country. Got death threats 
every day. Got attacked, harassed. Tried to kidnap me in 
Indonesia. Freedom is not free.''
    Now, as was asked by my good friend Mr. Crane, you 
mentioned that you weren't born in the United States of 
America. Why did you come to the United States?
    Mr. Freedom. For the American Dream, for freedom, for 
democracy. Because, you know, growing up in Turkiye, people 
look at America as the example of democracy, example of 
freedom, you know, example of opportunity. So that's why I was 
here--I came.
    Mr. D'Esposito. How old were you when you came to the 
United States of America?
    Mr. Freedom. Seventeen years old.
    Mr. D'Esposito. At 17 years old, maybe you weren't thinking 
about Twitter, but did you ever think that you would be putting 
out or thinking that statement that you put out on Twitter?
    Mr. Freedom. Never, because all I cared about was, you 
know, playing basketball and just having fun with my teammates.
    Mr. D'Esposito. Right. Who would've in a million years 
thought that you'd come to the United States of America for 
freedom, for that thirst of democracy, for a better education, 
for opportunity, to give a better place for your children, your 
grandchildren, your family----
    Mr. Freedom. I'm----
    Mr. D'Esposito [continuing]. But because of things that you 
said, clothing that you wore, feelings that you had, and the 
truth that you were telling, you were being targeted by the 
Chinese Communist Party?
    You came to America, and I have to ask you: At that point, 
when you're feeling all those things, who do you turn to?
    Mr. Freedom. I remember having a conversation with my agent 
after my third game wearing my, you know, anti-CCP shoes. He 
called me. He called me and said: Listen, I work for you, I 
don't work for the NBA, so I have to be honest with you. If you 
say another word--you're 29 years old--you will be kicked out 
of the NBA. You're never going to be able to dribble a 
basketball ever again in this court. Also, this is going to 
cost you between $40 million to $50 million.
    I thought about myself: This is America. The biggest 
dictatorship in the world cannot control a 100-percent 
American-made company like NBA and fire a U.S. citizen. So I 
was like, this is--there's no way.
    Literally, that's what happened. Just because of I talk--I 
don't talk about politics; I talk about human rights. Human 
rights is above politics. So, just because I talk about these 
issues, I got kicked out of my, you know, dream job that I 
worked so hard my whole life to get to that point--a lot of 
sweat, a lot of blood, a lot of effort.
    But you know what? In the end, people needs to understand 
this is bigger than myself, this is bigger than basketball, and 
this is bigger than NBA. So I definitely don't regret it.
    Mr. D'Esposito. How's your family doing now?
    Mr. Freedom. I have not seen them over 10 years now. I 
cannot--I'm not even allowed to talk to them, because when I 
started to speak out about it, you know, to Erdogan, you know, 
they came to my house and they raided the whole house and they 
took every electronics away, because they wanted to see if I am 
still in contact with my family or not. They couldn't find no 
evidence, but they still took my dad in jail for a while. But, 
you know, thanks to you guys, you put so much pressure from 
here to Turkiye, they let him go.
    But right now there is no communication, because if they 
communicate with me, that's an act of terrorism. So they don't 
even--they can't even get a job in Turkiye. I have to send my 
brother money, and my brother has to send my family money, you 
know?
    So it's been very tough for my family, but I'm sure they're 
proud.
    Mr. D'Esposito. I have to say that there's probably going 
to be a lot that comes out of this subcommittee hearing today, 
but one of the things that I hope that we can work on 
together--and I will speak to the Chairman when this is over. 
In a bipartisan fashion, I mean, this is the message that we 
should be sending to the youth of this country: that engaging 
in social media entities like TikTok----
    Mr. Freedom. Yes.
    Mr. D'Esposito. This is what you are opening yourself up 
to.
    I mean, if there is a message, if there is a lesson that 
should be learned, for everything that you have gone through, 
for all of the risks that you have taken, for all the truth 
that you have told, I hope that we can relay this message to 
the youth of the United States of America and let them 
understand the real threats that this country is facing and 
that they are opening themselves up to when they're logging on 
to some bogus app on their phone.
    Mr. Freedom. Yes.
    You know, I want to say, I'm really thankful for America. 
Because when literally my home country Turkiye labeled me as a 
terrorist and revoked my passport and put my name on INTERPOL 
list, American people and America opened their arms from Day 1 
and gave me a home, gave me a warm welcome. So I cannot thank 
enough for this country.
    Mr. D'Esposito. Well----
    Ms. Boyajian. To that excellent point about welcoming those 
who need to flee, could not agree more. It's one of the 
greatest things about our country.
    I would just flag for this committee, there are a number of 
Uyghurs whose applications for asylum and immigration cases are 
still pending, and they have fled here and are at risk, with 
status in limbo. So that may be something you all want to look 
at. We've heard it's as many as several hundred.
    Mr. D'Esposito. Well, Mr. Freedom, thank you for your----
    Mr. Freedom. Of course.
    Mr. D'Esposito [continuing]. The questions that you 
answered. I am happy to hear that you're thankful for this 
great country, because I know I am. I'm thankful for your 
truthfulness.
    Mr. Freedom. Thank you.
    Mr. D'Esposito. So, Mr. Chairman, I yield back.
    Mr. Pfluger. The gentleman's time has expired.
    The Chair now recognizes our final Member to ask questions, 
the gentlelady from Texas, Ms. Jackson Lee.
    Mr. Jackson Lee. Let me thank the Chairman for his courtesy 
and the Ranking Member for your courtesy. You've always 
extended it to me. This is a committee that I've served on 
previously.
    Let me thank the witnesses, as well, for their commitment 
and passion. As well, to hear you say what I will repeat and my 
colleague just repeated, which is, I am very happy to be here 
in America and to be able to have, as its basic infrastructure, 
democracy and the protection of dissident voices, those that I 
may disagree with, which is what we fight for. Democrats have 
taken that as one of their chosen issues, and we embrace our 
brothers on the other side of the aisle, and sisters, for them 
to also work with us.
    Democracy is precious. I think, Mr. Freedom, you have seen 
that even as a 17-year-old when you came to play basketball. We 
enjoyed you a lot. So I want you to know that your records, 
your success will not be forgotten. Basketball has now become a 
world-wide, international sport. So you are world-wide and 
international. The fact that you're using your voice is most 
crucial.
    I'd like to think that what we came today to do is to deal 
with America's reputation as a beacon of hope and freedom to 
the world, and however we can make that even brighter, we 
should do that.
    On the Uyghurs, I am a strong supporter of their plight and 
certainly will look at their issues. Because, obviously, they 
are in an isolated position, where the only voices that can aid 
them are voices that are outside of the country. We should 
speak for them, because they speak for the idea of democracy.
    Let me ask Mr. Freedom--and I do want you to believe that 
you have a home on both sides of the aisle, and what that 
means--and Democrats and Republicans. Whether or not there have 
been any encounters or meetings, please know--because I know 
you from my previous work on Judiciary; we've seen each other. 
I know you meet many people, but I can assure you you have 
advocates on both sides of the aisle.
    We are well aware of what is transpiring with the--how 
should I say it--the treatment in Turkiye of those who are in 
Turkiye and those who are Turkish outside.
    So help me know what you think would be the best step 
forward in a particular country that, as you well know, is 
called upon to be an ally in--and I'm sure you've heard that, 
so that's why I want to give you that opportunity--in regions 
like--in areas like Syria and other places.
    There was a moment when people were fraternizing on the 
streets of Turkiye, drinking coffee, and----
    Mr. Freedom. Yes.
    Ms. Jackson Lee [continuing]. The word ``secular'' was a 
welcome word, and it was just a beautiful place to be.
    I've been to Turkiye on a number of occasions. I think it's 
called the Blue Mosque----
    Mr. Freedom. Blue Mosque.
    Ms. Jackson Lee [continuing]. Just--just enjoyable. Then 
something happened.
    Give us what you think can be most effective, particularly 
when you speak about what is happening to your relatives----
    Mr. Freedom. Of course.
    Ms. Jackson Lee [continuing]. Who are innocent.
    Then I'd just like to follow up with--my time is going--Ms. 
Nia on this whole issue of the reach that other countries would 
have to be oppressive, either outside the United States or try 
to reach to guide our Government policies for us to oppress on 
their behalf, and that we can find the best route not to do 
that but to continue to focus on democracy in the United 
States.
    If the two of you would--Mr. Freedom, if you would, and 
then Ms.--is it ``Nya'' or ``Nia''? Sorry.
    Ms. Nia. ``Nia.''
    Mr. Jackson Lee. ``Nia.'' Thank you.
    Mr. Freedom. So Turkiye could've been a bridge of Islam and 
West, but just because of Erdogan's policies, it's impossible. 
You know, Turkiye was once a democratic country, but now it's 
pretty much the Trojan horse for Putin in NATO.
    Turkish Government and Erdogan was the first government 
ever that came out and publicly supported Hamas and said, ``We 
support Hamas.'' First, when I heard about that news, I thought 
it was an Onion news. I really didn't want to believe it. But 
it happened to be true.
    Right now, there are thousands of people in jail right now 
suffering. I believe the last number, if I'm not mistaken, 
close to 17,000 innocent women, and with their kids and babies, 
in jail right now, waiting for help, you know?
    You know, it's--this has only happened in Turkiye, but 
outside of Turkiye, if you are a journalist and writing 
anything against the Turkish Government, you will be on 
INTERPOL list. In one day, Turkish Government put 65,000 
names--65,000 people's name on INTERPOL list. Now they are 
having a very tough time to travel around.
    So we've got to do whatever we can to put pressure on these 
governments, because enough with the condemning. Because this 
kind of, you know, dictatorships is not going to understand 
from condemning, so we have to take concrete actions by 
sanctioning them.
    I understand they are a NATO ally, but they don't act like 
a NATO ally. They literally go around shaking hands with Putin 
and shaking hands with people like Khamenei. So enough is 
enough. We have to pass a bill, put Magnitsky sanctions on 
individuals around Erdogan, so we can actually show that, you 
know, we are not--we are a strong country that cares about 
human rights.
    So that breaks my heart, to see what's happened over there, 
because my family is affected by it. I literally haven't seen 
them for 10 years. If they spoke to me, it's an act of 
terrorism, and they'll be in jail the next day. I can't even 
send them money. I have to send my brother money, and my 
brother has to send my family money because of act of 
terrorism, you know?
    So it is unacceptable, but we've got to do whatever we can 
to put pressure on these governments with concrete actions.
    Mr. Pfluger. The gentlelady's time has expired.
    Mr. Jackson Lee. Would you just allow her to answer?
    Mr. Pfluger. I--I'm going to go ahead and close it down at 
this point.
    Mr. Jackson Lee. All right.
    Mr. Pfluger. The gentlelady's time has expired.
    Mr. Jackson Lee. Well, can I put this into the record? I 
was given--I ask unanimous consent to enter into the record a 
statement from the German Marshall Fund.
    Mr. Pfluger. So ordered.
    [The information referred to follows:]
              Letter Submitted by Hon. Sheila Jackson Lee
                                  January 17, 2024.

Committee on Homeland Security,
Subcommittee on Counterterrorism, Law Enforcement, and Intelligence, 
        U.S. House of Representatives, H2-176 Ford House Office 
        Building, Washington, DC 20515.
    Dear Chairman Pfluger, Ranking Member Magaziner, and Members of the 
House Homeland Security Committee:
    Thank you for the opportunity to submit a brief statement at 
today's hearing on addressing transnational repression. Foreign state-
sponsored actors' attempts to silence, harass, and, in the most extreme 
cases, kill members of exile and diaspora communities on American soil 
are part of an insidious campaign to chill dissent and punish perceived 
enemies of foreign governments.
    Transnational repression often captures headlines in extreme cases 
like assassinations and kidnappings where a ruling government targets 
members of exile and diaspora communities who are perceived as threats 
to that government's stability. Yet, transnational repression is more 
than extraterritorial score settling. In many cases, it represents 
attempts by foreign state actors to interfere or exert malign influence 
in American democracy as well.
    The victims of transnational repression in exile and diaspora 
communities are often American citizens who participate in American 
civic life, vote in elections, run for office, and help shape views in 
the United States of their countries of origin. From the perspective of 
a hostile government like the Chinese Communist Party, this makes 
exiles and diaspora groups potentially dangerous constituencies in 
American society, due in large part to their insight into the workings 
of authoritarian regimes and their perspective on the threat that they 
pose.
    Indeed, among the many governments that have perpetrated acts of 
transnational repression in the United States, the Chinese Communist 
Party pursues campaigns of intimidation and information manipulation 
against exile and diaspora communities to subvert American civil 
society and interfere in American politics. For example, the CCP has 
attempted to co-opt a pro-democracy movement within New York's Chinese 
diaspora and sought to derail the career of a Chinese American 
Congressional candidate who was a leader during the Tiananmen Square 
protests in Beijing in 1989. Promoting more favorable policies toward 
China and silencing negative views of the CCP are at the core of 
China's targeting of these communities.
    Authoritarian adversarial regimes like China's, Russia's, and 
Iran's are not the only perpetrators of transnational repression. Even 
some of the United States' allies and partners, such as India and 
Turkey, have engaged in this activity on American soil. In November, 
the White House revealed that an Indian national with alleged links to 
the Indian government was charged with attempting to hire an undercover 
DEA agent to kill a prominent Indian dissident in New York City who is 
himself a U.S. citizen. For a democracy like India to attempt such an 
act on American soil is an affront to the values that our countries 
share, and a threat to the world order on which we both rely. It also 
provides further evidence that this problem is growing and that global 
norms against transnational repression are weakening, and that the 
risk-reward calculus of foreign governments increasingly appears to 
favor taking risks. Foreign governments conclude they either can engage 
in this activity with impunity or they will tolerate the consequences 
the United States imposes--often through limited sanctions and visa 
bans.
    Congress can play an important role in strengthening U.S. responses 
to transnational repression. First, Congress can pass a resolution 
calling on the administration to issue a declaratory policy for 
transnational repression. Such a policy should make clear the United 
States will not tolerate foreign government efforts to target American 
citizens and exert malign influence on American civil society, and 
stipulate that the United States will use tools at its disposal to 
deter and raise the costs on this activity. A resolution should also 
call on the administration to appoint a senior-level official at the 
National Security Council or Homeland Security Council who has both the 
authority and the staff to coordinate policy responses across U.S. 
agencies and to work with U.S. allies on addressing this activity.
    Second, Congress should call on the Department of Homeland Security 
to provide trainings on transnational repression that are tailored to 
each individual agency's mandate. Customs and Border Patrol officers, 
for example, are often the first line of defense in deterring foreign 
state-sponsored actors who are coming to the United States to harass, 
infiltrate, and threaten exile and diaspora communities from entering 
the country. What CBP officers need to know to defuse threats at the 
border is different from what other DHS agencies, like the 
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, must address. 
Training on the subject should also extend to Department of State 
Foreign Service Officers who serve in consular positions in U.S. 
embassies and consulates overseas and adjudicate visas to foreign 
nationals.
    Finally, Congress should call on the administration to establish 
bilateral and multilateral forums for information sharing and 
coordination on transnational repression issues with allies. Foreign 
governments that engage in transnational repression exploit 
multilateral channels like Interpol to target exiles and dissidents. 
They also leverage proxies based in U.S. allied nations to conduct this 
activity in the United States and elsewhere. DHS and the Department of 
State should have established channels with their agency counterparts 
in allied countries. Furthermore, the United States should propose 
creating working groups on countering transnational repression and 
foreign malign influence with the European Union, the G7, and other 
appropriate multilateral bodies with allies and partner nations.
    Chairman Pfluger, Ranking Member Magaziner, thank you again for the 
opportunity to submit this statement today.
            Respectfully,
                                               David Salvo,
                Managing Director, Alliance for Securing Democracy,
                    The German Marshall Fund of the United States, 
                           1744 R Street, NW, Washington, DC 20009.
                                         Nathan Kohlenberg,
                 Research Analyst, Alliance for Securing Democracy,
                    The German Marshall Fund of the United States, 
                           1744 R Street, NW, Washington, DC 20009.

    Mr. Pfluger. I thank the witnesses for your valuable 
testimony, for your courage, and for your time today. I think 
this has been an excellent hearing.
    I thank the Members for their questions as well.
    The Members of the subcommittee may have additional 
questions for the witnesses, and we would ask the witnesses to 
please respond in writing to these.
    Pursuant to committee rule VII(D), the hearing record will 
be open for 10 days.
    Without objection, the subcommittee stands adjourned.
    [Whereupon, at 4:12 p.m., the subcommittee was adjourned.]

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