G7 Leaders Condemn and Raise Alarm Over Rising ‘Transnational Repression’
Could the G7’s Statement Also Be Pointing Toward India?
June 18, 2025
At the conclusion of the G7 summit in Canada on June 17, leaders of the seven countries issued a statement condemning transnational repression (TNR). Here’s a look at what TNR means, and whether it also hints at India.
The G7’s statement does not name any country, but it expresses concern over rising attempts by states to harass, coerce or harm individuals outside their borders. The declaration cites abduction, assassination, surveillance, misuse of passports, cyber harassment and threats to family members as examples of TNR.
The leaders of the seven countries – Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States – say TNR has a chilling effect on diaspora communities, journalists, human rights defenders, religious minorities and dissidents.
Several countries have faced scrutiny for TNR, including Saudi Arabia, Iran, China and Russia. The 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul is among the most infamous examples. China has been accused of targeting Uyghur activists abroad and pressuring governments to deport them. Russia’s poisoning of defectors and dissidents in Europe also falls into this category.
International law is built on the principle of state sovereignty. States are allowed to investigate, prosecute or monitor their citizens only within the limits of their own legal system and territorial jurisdiction. Operating covertly or violently inside another country, without that country’s consent or due process, violates this principle. It also infringes on the host country’s responsibility to protect its residents and uphold their rights under international human rights law.
There are only limited circumstances under which a state can legally act beyond its own borders. These are mostly confined to cooperation with other states under legal frameworks.
For instance, extradition treaties allow one country to request the handover of a criminal suspect from another. But even here, due process must be followed. Evidence must be presented, courts must decide and the accused has a right to defend themselves. Interpol red notices must not be used to target political opponents or dissidents. When legal tools are misused to punish peaceful activists or critics, that too amounts to repression.
Foreign intelligence agencies are not prohibited from operating abroad, but they are expected to observe the legal frameworks of the countries they work in. Intelligence-gathering through surveillance or informants may be tolerated to an extent, but direct involvement in coercion, harm or physical targeting is unlawful. Even misuse of legal instruments—like requesting arrests under counterterrorism laws without valid evidence—can constitute transnational repression when used to silence dissent.
In most cases, foreign intelligence personnel are officially attached to their country’s embassies, high commissions or consulates. This arrangement is common and is broadly understood under the framework of diplomatic norms set out in the Vienna Conventions of 1961 and 1963. Intelligence officers are often posted abroad under diplomatic cover, meaning they are assigned roles such as political, defence or cultural attachés, but their real task may be intelligence gathering.
Is the G7 statement alluding to India as well? The statement follows a report submitted to Canada’s Parliament by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), which described India and four other countries – China, Russia, Iran and Pakistan – as “foreign interference threats,” according to The Globe and Mail. The intel report was submitted on June 13, three days before the start of the G7 summit, in which India was a specially invited “outreach” guest.
Relations between India and Canada have been strained since 2023, when Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the time alleged that Indian agents were involved in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh separatist leader, in British Columbia. India rejected the claim and accused Canada of giving space to extremists. Both countries expelled senior diplomats, and consular services were disrupted.
Now, with a change in leadership in Canada, the two governments have announced they would appoint new high commissioners and restore consular access.
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