Geneva: On 3 March 2026 in Geneva, the Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) organised a critical side event during the 61st session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), focusing on transnational repression. The panel brought together prominent voices from communities affected by state-led cross-border oppression, including Sarah from STP Germany; Zumrita Akrin of the Uyghur Congress; Lebin Ding, human rights defender; and Thinley Chukki, Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama from the Office of Tibet in Geneva. 12 Member States from the UN Permanent Mission and various civil society representatives attended the side event, with a total of more than 40 participants present in the room.
Representative Thinley Chukki opened her remarks by expressing gratitude to Social for Threatened People (STP) for convening the discussion, emphasising the importance of sharing the lived experiences of those facing transnational repression and exploring solutions for the future. She highlighted the persistent challenges human rights systems face in holding perpetrators accountable, noting that despite existing international mechanisms, protection for human rights defenders remains insufficient.
Drawing from the Tibetan experience, Representative Chukki explained that transnational repression manifests in several interconnected ways. Family members of Tibetans in exile are systematically targeted in Tibet as a form of intimidation. Chinese authorities reportedly require Tibetans inside Tibet to report on relatives living abroad, enabling surveillance and harassment of Tibetans residing in democratic countries.
Exile institutions, particularly the Central Tibetan Administration, also face deliberate attempts to undermine their credibility. Cyberattacks, vilification of democratically elected leaders, and the targeting of family members are among the methods used. Religious institutions and the legacy of His Holiness the Dalai Lama have similarly been subjected to global campaigns of defamation, manipulation, and digital harassment.
Representative Chukki further described the digital dimension of transnational repression, emphasising that Tibetan activists and human rights defenders are targeted through social media monitoring, online harassment, and cyber surveillance. These tactics aim to silence voices advocating for human rights in Tibet and abroad.
Highlighting steps toward accountability, Representative Chukki called on governments to recognise transnational repression as a violation of both sovereignty and human rights. She commended Switzerland for producing an official research report acknowledging such practices and encouraged other nations to adopt similar frameworks. Governments, she noted, must raise awareness within legal and law enforcement systems to ensure victims’ grievances are taken seriously and establish accessible mechanisms for reporting violations, citing Germany’s emerging system as a positive example.
Finally, Representative Chukki urged the UN system itself to address the retaliation faced by activists and human rights defenders within its own processes. She noted that Tibetan and Uyghur advocates often face additional screening and security measures during UN engagements—a practice she described as an extension of transnational repression.
Concluding her address, Representative Chukki emphasised the urgent need for global recognition, systematic protections, and coordinated efforts to counter transnational repression and ensure that human rights defenders can operate safely and freely.
– Report filed by Office of Tibet, Geneva
