Bearing Witness: Ria Chakrabarty Testifies Before Congress on Transnational Repression
On June 26th, 2025, Hindus for Human Rights’ Senior Policy Director, Ria Chakrabarty, testified before the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission at a critical hearing on transnational repression—a growing threat to democracy, civil society, and freedom of expression worldwide.
Transnational repression (TNR) refers to tactics used by governments and political movements to extend authoritarian control across borders. Whether through surveillance, visa threats, online harassment, or coercion of family members back home, TNR silences dissent and isolates activists from their communities. And as Ria reminded lawmakers and fellow experts, this practice is no longer the sole domain of well-known autocracies like Russia and China.
“India must now be counted among the world’s leading perpetrators of transnational repression,” she testified. “The Hindu nationalist government has expanded its authoritarian playbook beyond its borders—harassing, intimidating, and surveilling critics abroad, especially in the diaspora.”
Ria’s testimony laid bare how diaspora networks, consular services, and even financial institutions are being used to pressure those who speak out against authoritarian policies in India. She highlighted cases of canceled Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cards, border detentions, and digital harassment campaigns targeting activists, scholars, and human rights defenders—including our own colleagues and partners.
Importantly, Ria called on U.S. lawmakers to take action. She urged Congress to:
Incorporate India into multilateral efforts to define and document transnational repression.
Condition U.S.-India cooperation on basic protections for civil society and dissent.
Engage more deeply with diaspora communities under threat.
Her appearance at the hearing was a powerful affirmation that human rights violations do not stop at national borders—and neither should our solidarity. Hindus for Human Rights will continue to speak truth to power and support all those working to resist authoritarianism in India and around the world.
📖 Watch the full hearing and see Ria’s testimony here at time marker 42:30
