The Coalition Against Transnational Repression in Germany Welcomes the Government’s Decision to Place TNR on Its Coalition Agenda
10 April 2025
The Coalition Against Transnational Repression in Germany welcomes the federal government’s decision to formally include transnational repression (TNR) in the 2025 governing coalition agreement — a key step toward addressing the threats faced by dissidents, journalists, and human rights defenders targeted by foreign authoritarian actors. This political recognition reflects years of sustained advocacy by the Coalition and affected communities.
In its April 2025 policy paper, the Coalition outlines urgent reforms required to protect individuals on German soil and ensure that the government upholds its human rights obligations. The paper stresses that Germany must now move from political acknowledgement to concrete, actionable protection measures.
The Coalition calls on the government to establish an accessible national mechanism for reporting and monitoring TNR cases, improve inter‑agency coordination, and develop rapid warning systems that ensure targeted individuals are informed and protected without delay. It also emphasizes the need to create specialised, trauma‑informed counselling structures providing legal, psychological, and digital‑security support to those affected.
Furthermore, the Coalition urges systematic training for asylum authorities, law enforcement, and frontline responders to ensure they can recognise the full spectrum of TNR tactics — including those that fall below the criminal threshold — and respond appropriately. The Coalition also calls for the development of preventive legal and diplomatic tools, including sanctions, restrictions on surveillance technologies, and strengthened accountability mechanisms for actors operating across borders.
Finally, the Coalition stresses the importance of reinforcing protections for the rights of exiled dissidents, including safeguarding safe participation in demonstrations and ensuring fair and rights‑based asylum procedures.
The Coalition brings together more than twenty German civil society organisations working collectively to monitor, respond to, support, and prevent acts of transnational repression affecting exiled journalists, human rights defenders, political activists, and diaspora communities. This recognition reflects sustained engagement by the Coalition and partner organisations, whose advocacy has helped bring the issue onto Germany’s national political agenda for the first time.
By implementing these recommendations, the Coalition underscores that Germany can transform its commitments into robust, enforceable protection mechanisms that uphold democratic participation, individual safety, and fundamental rights.
