CAIRO (Middle East Eye) – Egypt and Saudi Arabia’s methods of repressing dissidents living in the U.S. have become “innovative and emboldened” and require much more than diplomatic pressure to stop them, a study from a U.S.-based advocacy group reports.
More than two-thirds of 72 people with personal or professional ties to Egypt and Saudi Arabia interviewed for the Freedom Initiative report released on Monday say they have been subjected to acts of repression on U.S. soil.
Examples of repression highlighted include major delays or denials of legal documents, surveillance, physical intimidation, and costly litigation brought by entities perceived to be or in actuality government-linked.
Such attempts by foreign governments to curtail rights across borders are typically associated with America’s enemies.
But the report sheds light on the growing threat of the two long-time American allies and security partners, undeterred by their close ties to the U.S., in their efforts to quash freedoms abroad.
“Transnational repression is a threat to U.S. national security and human rights norms and combating it requires innovative action,” Andrea Prasow, Freedom Initiative’s executive director, said.
“The Biden administration should make clear that any attempt by foreign governments to flagrantly target their foes on U.S. soil will not be tolerated, and should couple that message with a more aggressive demand that alleged allies like Egypt and Saudi Arabia respect human rights not only on American soil, but also at home.”
There are also multiple cases in the paper of “state-hostage taking” in which relatives of individuals living in the U.S. were arrested or slapped with travel bans in attempts to silence their dissent, as well as several instances of people being tried and sentenced in absentia.
One Egyptian dissident told Freedom Initiative that he had been at a dinner with a co-organizer of several pro-democracy working groups and initiatives.
“As we were saying our goodbyes, he leaned over and said, ‘Abdel Fattah [el-Sisi] says go with [the] flow or you’ll drown’,” he recalled.