National Counterintelligence and Security Center’s Post

upon further reflection. Here are some additional insights and considerations: 1. Escalating Sophistication: The tactics used by both state and non-state actors are becoming increasingly sophisticated, often leveraging cutting-edge technology. This includes the use of spyware, AI-driven disinformation campaigns, and advanced surveillance techniques that can be difficult to detect and counter. 2. Blurred Lines: The distinction between state and non-state actors is often blurred. Governments may use criminal organizations as proxies to maintain plausible deniability, while powerful business entities might leverage political connections to silence critics. 3. Legal Challenges: Prosecuting these cases can be extremely challenging due to jurisdictional issues, diplomatic immunity, and the difficulty in gathering admissible evidence across international borders. 4. Psychological Impact: Beyond the physical threats, these tactics often aim to create a pervasive sense of fear and paranoia among targeted communities, effectively silencing dissent through psychological pressure. 5. Economic Leverage: Some actors use economic means, such as threats to business interests or family members' livelihoods etc., as a form of pressure. This can be particularly effective and difficult to prove. 6. Media Manipulation: There's an increasing trend of attempting to control or influence media narratives, not just through disinformation but also through ownership of media outlets or pressure on journalists. 7. Exploitation of Legal Systems: Some actors abuse international legal mechanisms, such as Interpol red notices, to harass and restrict the movement of critics abroad. 8. Cybersecurity Concerns: The rise of these tactics underscores the critical importance of robust cybersecurity measures for individuals and organizations alike. 9. Long-term Consequences: These activities can have lasting effects on international relations, trust in institutions, and the willingness of individuals to speak out against wrongdoing. 10. Need for Global Response: Addressing this issue effectively requires a coordinated global response, including improved international laws, better information sharing between agencies and countries, and public awareness campaigns. These additional points highlight the complexity and far-reaching implications of transnational repression and silencing tactics, emphasizing the need for a multifaceted approach to combat them. European Commission Karim A. A. Khan KC Mary Lawlor #TransnationalRepression #GlobalSilencing #StateSponsoredHarassment #NonStateActors #OrganizedCrimeTactics #CyberRepression #DiasporaSurveillance #WhistleblowerProtection #DigitalAuthoritarianism #CrossBorderIntimidation #ForcedRepatriation #ExtrajudicialThreats #DissentSuppression #InternationalAccountability #HumanRightsViolations #CyberHarassment #DisinformationCampaigns #LongArmRepression #TechAssistedSurveillance #GlobalJustice #PoliticalDissent #CorporateSilencing

📢To help police and other officials avoid becoming unwitting pawns in untraceable assassinations or other illicit activities, the following precautions and practices are advisable: 1. Heightened Awareness: - Be alert to unusual or overly specific requests for information or assistance, especially regarding dissidents or critics. - Recognize that seemingly innocent requests could be part of a larger, nefarious plan. 2. Strict Adherence to Protocols: - Always follow established procedures for information sharing and cooperation with foreign entities. - Ensure all international requests go through proper channels and are officially documented. 3. Thorough Vetting: - Carefully verify the identities and credentials of individuals or organizations making requests. - Cross-check information with multiple reliable sources. 4. Information Compartmentalization: - Limit access to sensitive information on a need-to-know basis. - Be cautious about sharing personal details of potential targets, even if the request seems legitimate. 5. Regular Training: - Participate in up-to-date training on foreign influence operations and transnational crime tactics. - Stay informed about current geopolitical situations and potential motivations for targeting individuals. 6. Collaborative Approach: - Work closely with intelligence agencies and specialized units to identify potential threats. - Maintain open communication channels with colleagues to share concerns or suspicious patterns. 7. Digital Security: - Use secure communication channels and regularly update cybersecurity measures. - Be wary of phishing attempts or social engineering tactics. 8. Ethical Decision-Making: - Regularly reflect on the ethical implications of actions and requests. - Foster a culture where questioning unusual requests is encouraged. 9. Whistleblower Protection: - Ensure robust protection for those who report suspicious activities within the system. - Create safe channels for reporting concerns without fear of reprisal. 10. International Cooperation: - Engage in legitimate international law enforcement cooperation while being alert to potential abuse of these channels. - Stay updated on known tactics used by foreign actors to manipulate law enforcement. 11. Personal Conduct: - Be cautious about personal relationships, especially with individuals who might have connections to foreign governments or organizations. - Be aware of potential compromising situations or blackmail attempts. 12. Contextual Understanding: - Develop a nuanced understanding of geopolitical contexts and potential motivations behind certain requests or operations. By implementing these practices, law enforcement and other officials can significantly reduce the risk of being manipulated into assisting in covert, illegal operations. It's crucial to maintain a balance between int'l cooperation and vigilance against potential exploitation.

📢"Global Web of Silence: How State and Non-State Actors Target Critics Worldwide" 🗣️ In an alarming trend, governments, organized crime syndicates, corrupt officials, and private entities are increasingly engaging in coordinated efforts to silence critics and potential whistleblowers across the globe. These activities, often transcending national borders, aim to suppress information about political and business wrongdoings. Recent reports highlight a sophisticated network of tactics employed by various actors to intimidate, harass, and sometimes eliminate those who might expose their illicit activities. These methods range from cyber attacks and disinformation campaigns to more direct threats, including stalking, defamation, and even assassination attempts. Particularly concerning is the use of local assets in foreign countries, including private investigators, compromised law enforcement officials, and members of diaspora communities. These individuals are often unwittingly drawn into schemes that violate the rights of critics living abroad. While authoritarian regimes like China, Iran, Russia, and Turkey are frequently cited in such reports, the phenomenon is not limited to these nations. Democratic countries have also been implicated in efforts to silence critics of their political or business practices. The motivations behind these actions vary. Governments seek to maintain political control and suppress dissent, while businesses aim to protect their reputations and financial interests. Organized crime groups work to shield their operations from scrutiny. This global trend poses a significant threat to freedom of speech, investigative journalism, and the rule of law. It calls for increased awareness, robust international cooperation, and stronger protections for whistleblowers and critics worldwide. As these tactics evolve, it becomes crucial for individuals to stay informed and vigilant, and for democratic institutions to reinforce their commitment to protecting free speech and human rights, both domestically and internationally. #TransnationalRepression #SilencingCritics #GlobalCorruption #WhistleblowerProtection #FreedomOfSpeech #OrganizedCrime #StateSuppression #CorporateSilencing #PoliticalDissent #HumanRights #CyberHarassment #DisinformationCampaigns #InternationalLaw #AccountabilityNow #PressFreedom This article and its associated hashtags cover the broad scope of actors involved in silencing critics, including governments, organized crime, corrupt officials, and private entities. It also touches on the political and business motivations behind these actions, as well as the global nature of the issue. Mary Lawlor Fabrice C Houdart Amnesty International HumanRights Watch

This document indeed highlights alarming tactics used by various state and non-state actors to harass, intimidate, and silence critics and dissidents, particularly those living in the United States and other democratic countries. While China and Iran are specifically mentioned, this problem is far more widespread and complex. Key points and expanded analysis: 1. Foreign Intelligence Entities (FIEs), their proxies, and various non-state actors are exploiting U.S. persons and systems to conduct surveillance, gather information, and harass critics and dissidents. 2. Methods employed include: - Hiring private investigators - Recruiting or compromising law enforcement officials - Utilizing social media operatives for disinformation campaigns - Grooming members of local diaspora communities - Forming crime rings and corruption networks - Employing organized crime syndicates 3. These actions can lead to severe consequences: - Cyberhacking and disinformation campaigns - Suppression of free speech - Stalking, harassment, defamation - Assassination attempts and extrajudicial killings - Forced or coerced repatriation (including kidnapping) - Enforced disappearances - Punitive psychology tactics 4. The document emphasizes the illegality and harmful impacts of assisting foreign intelligence services or criminal networks in targeting individuals. 5. It provides advice on avoiding becoming an unwitting tool in these operations. 6. The indirect nature of many of these operations, as you astutely point out, creates plausible deniability. This makes it challenging to trace actions back to the originating entities, whether they are governments or non-state actors. 7. While China and Iran are named, these tactics are employed by a wide range of actors, including: - Authoritarian regimes like Turkey and Russia - Organized crime syndicates - Corrupt officials and networks - Business entities seeking to silence critics 8. Recent events, such as the alleged involvement of India in an extrajudicial assassination on Canadian soil (in the Greater Vancouver area), underscore the global reach and brazenness of these operations. 9. The involvement of non-state actors, including organized crime and corrupt networks, adds layers of complexity to identifying and combating these threats. This expanded analysis highlights the intricate web of state and non-state actors involved in transnational repression. It underscores the critical need for increased awareness, robust international cooperation, and strengthened protections for critics, dissidents, and potential whistleblowers worldwide. The fight against these tactics requires vigilance from individuals, civil society, and government agencies alike. Mary Lawlor The Wall Street Journal Journalists for Human Rights (JHR) European Federation of Journalists

September 15: the world marks the international day of democracy. In countries torn by war, it is time the guns are silent. In Sudan, democracy is was the first casualty of the war. Freedoms are restricted, power concentrates, civil liberties eroded, “us vs them” mentality has increased, so are tendencies that conflict with the principles of democracy on the rise. But even in the darkest times, the fight for a government by the people and for the people must continue. For the sake of democracy, let the arms embargo be actualized. #DemocracyMatters#PeaceAndJustice#Resilience

“It may be dangerous to be America's enemy, but to be America's friend is fatal.” - Henry Alfred Kissinger ''Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has signed up Australia for another US war on false pretences. Australia’s history is now tainted with the stigma of support for genocide. Even as they were rightly dragged before The Hague last week on a genocide rap by South Africa – a case which stacks up both on action and intent – they were still bombing civilians and refugee camps; their war crimes so blatant, so vicious, so prolific, so racist as to be almost beyond imagination. Almost. What a paradox it is that the decision by the government of John Howard to commit Australian troops to the Invasion of Iraq recently notched up its 20-year anniversary. The Cabinet deliberations which led to this tragedy – a million dead {{50 million people displaced}} the rise of ISIS, a spate of Islamic terrorism which endured for years – remains a secret. The media lapped up the lies then, too, just as today. Saddam Hussein’s non-existent ‘Human Shredder’ was splashed across the front pages – without a pic, of course, because there was no human shredder. Just like the 40 babies beheaded by Hamas on 7/10. It didn’t happen. Neither were there ‘weapons of mass destruction’, the ultimate pretext for war before that was abandoned in favour of ‘nation building’. That's not stopped ‘Genocide Joe’ Biden from parroting the claim, or for that matter, any number of reckless politicians in the pro-war camp. To those who advocate that the action against the Houthis is moral, there is just no response to this. It is bizarrely immoral. To those who claim it is in our interests because of the need to free up commercial shipping lanes in the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, yes, that is a valid claim. {But then Brexit caused major terror in Europe. Which force will re-establish trade there? } Why commit Australia to the Red Sea when we are already signed up for AUKUS, a deal transferring billions of dollars from the Australian public to US & UK shipyards? We have already committed to allow US bases on our soil and to dispose of US and UK nuclear submarine waste. Surely, we can stick to our role of ‘US deputy sheriff’ in the Pacific/ Indian oceans. Surely that's a big enough task for the alliance without putting this country on Team Genocide. To those who would say, ‘it’s just a handful of people’ marching off to fight the Houthis in Operation Prosperity Guardian, or whatever silly name they have allotted this latest folly, the Vietnam War began that way too. Before it escalated. Governments cannot go to war without the support of media, and media has abjectly failed – as thousands of muzzled Australian journalists will attest. Since October 7, a slew of top-flight journalists have either been sacked or left ABC in disgust.'' #media #misinformation #disinformation #wmd #iraq #covid #davidkelly #brexit #redseaattacks #genocide #paedoroyals #etonmess #terror #saynotowar

Greetings, everyone. The events that have been exposed are demeaning, humiliating, torturous, and atrocious. the so-called men dressed in military clothes are mocking, deliberately breaking International Law. That being so, the Geneva Conventions are a set of four international treaties established to ensure the humanitarian treatment of war victims, including civilians, prisoners of war, and wounded soldiers. The first one was adopted in 1864. This convention focuses on the treatment of wounded and sick soldiers on the battlefield. It establishes the neutrality of medical personnel and facilities and ensures the protection of wounded and sick soldiers, regardless of their nationality. Furthermore, there are Additional Protocols to the Geneva Conventions: Protocol I (1977): This protocol supplements the protection of victims in international armed conflicts. It introduces additional rules concerning the conduct of hostilities and the protection of civilians. Protocol II (1977): This protocol extends protections to victims of non-international armed conflicts (conflicts not of an international character). The Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols are widely recognized as customary international law, and they establish fundamental principles for the humane treatment of individuals affected by armed conflicts. Violations of these conventions can be considered war crimes, and those responsible may be held accountable under international law. Last but equally important, I've added a link for you to view that will enable you to have your say. #peaceandjustice #provebeyonddoubts #rightsofallpeople #leantolaw https://lnkd.in/e76Yxy2z

NB: For a Statistical Graphic representation summarizing the situation as it is now, please refer to ‘Comments’ section below.

The explainer details the historical and ongoing conflicts in Parachinar, focusing on the sectarian violence between Shia and Sunni tribes, exacerbated by political and social media misrepresentations. It covers past hostilities, peace agreements, and recent disputes, including misinformation about Shia genocide and comparisons with other regional conflicts. Read more at... https://lnkd.in/dTUYWmUn #ParachinarConflict #SectarianViolence #TribalDisputes #KurramWar #SocialMediaMisinformation #RegionalConflicts