Amnesty International UK has welcomed today’s damning report by the Joint Committee on Human Rights (JCHR), which finds that foreign states are operating with impunity to harass, threaten and intimidate individuals on UK soil, with the Government failing to provide adequate protection or response.

The report, Transnational Repression in the UK, warns that hostile governments, including China, Iran and Russia, are using tactics such as surveillance, harassment, and abuse of legal systems to silence critics, human rights defenders and diaspora communities across the UK. It also highlights severe gaps in the UK’s response, including the absence of a clear legal definition, a lack of data collection, and no dedicated reporting mechanisms for victims.

The findings reinforce Amnesty’s own research, published last year, which exposed the deep fear experienced by Chinese and Hong Kong students in the UK as a result of Beijing’s efforts to extend its repressive reach abroad. Amnesty documented how students live in constant fear of surveillance, reprisals against family members, and threats from Chinese authorities with many feeling unable to speak freely or engage in activism, even while on UK university campuses.

Read the report: Chinese and Hong Kong students in the UK live in fear of the long arm of the Chinese government

Responding to today’s JCHR report, Kerry Moscogiuri, Campaigns Director at Amnesty International UK, said:

“This report should be a wake-up call. The UK has become a hunting ground for authoritarian regimes targeting dissidents, journalists, and exiles. It’s appalling that those who sought refuge here are met with fear, harassment and intimidation from foreign powers, with woefully inadequate protection and little coordinated response.

“Amnesty International has repeatedly documented the Chinese government’s transnational repression, including the surveillance and intimidation of students and activists here in the UK. That includes the alarming escalation in threats against the Hong Kong community, with bounties placed on the heads of UK-based pro-democracy activists. Since our report last year, the Government has failed to take adequate action to address this threat.

“The powerful JCHR report rightly exposes major gaps: the lack of a clear definition of transnational repression, no dedicated reporting mechanism, patchy police response, and a failure to collect even basic data on the scale of the threat. Crucially, it sets a 12-month timeline for government action to put protective systems in place for those most at risk.

“The Government must now act on these recommendations, not just in principle, but in practice. Protections must be real, visible, and trusted by those they’re meant to serve. Civil society and affected communities need to see that the UK is not just listening, but standing up to repression in all its forms.

“The UK must act now: work with affected activists and communities to define transnational repression, track it, and confront it, before silence becomes the new norm.”

Amnesty International UK is urging the Government to immediately adopt the JCHR’s recommendations and establish a clear, cross-departmental strategy to identify, deter and respond to transnational repression including visible protections for those most at risk, and regular engagement with civil society organisations and affected communities.

ENDS