Noura Aljizawi, senior researcher at The Citizen Lab, delivered testimony before the House of Commons Subcommittee on International Human Rights (SDIR) of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development on November 26, 2024, addressing the issue of transnational repression in developing democracies.
Aljizawi highlighted the rising threat of transnational repression and its impact on exiled dissidents in Canada. She discussed the phenomenon of digital transnational repression, where digital surveillance technologies are used to intimidate and silence human rights defenders beyond borders. Despite targeted individuals reporting these incidents, Aljizawi pointed out that responses from authorities remain insufficient.
Emphasizing that transnational repression is a global issue that requires urgent action, she recommends legislative reforms to protect targets, accountability for perpetrators, and support for targets, including digital security resources and the establishment of a dedicated government agency to monitor, report and respond to DTR systematically.
A recording of the full testimony is available here. Due to the recent prorogation of Parliament, a written submission prepared to accompany Aljizawi’s testimony could not be presented to the committee. You can read the written submission prepared for this study here.