New Lines Institute Launches Transnational Repression Scholarly Working Group

Experts Unite on Capitol Hill to Fight China’s Transnational Repression

Uyghur Times Staff
January 11, 2026
Political Systems
3 min read

Washington, D.C. — On January 7, 2026, the New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy officially launched its Transnational Repression (TNR) Scholarly Working Group during a high-profile event on Capitol Hill.

The initiative brings together top legal scholars, academics, and policy experts to develop concrete, law-based strategies for democratic countries to push back against authoritarian regimes — above all China — that extend repression far beyond their borders to target Uyghurs, Tibetans, Hong Kongers, and other dissidents.

For Uyghur communities in exile, transnational repression is not abstract: it means nightly phone calls threatening family members in East Turkistan, constant digital monitoring, forced “return” campaigns, passport confiscation abroad, and even physical intimidation at international gatherings. These tactics turn safety in free countries into illusion.

The working group features leading voices such as:

• Dr. Ted Bromund (Bromund Expert Witness Services)
• Dr. Suparna Chaudhry (Lewis & Clark University)
• Dr. Tenzin Dorjee (Columbia University & Tibet Action Institute)
• Dr. Gerasimos Tsourapas (University of Birmingham)

It is chaired by Dr. Elise Anderson, Non-Resident Senior Fellow at New Lines Institute and longtime researcher on Uyghur issues, who also coordinates the institute’s existing Uyghur Scholars Working Group.

Massachusetts Representative Jim McGovern, a steadfast advocate for Uyghur human rights, delivered opening remarks:
“I applaud New Lines Institute for this initiative, and we need more expert attention to this growing problem, because it is a growing problem.”

The group’s core mission includes three practical goals:

• Convene prominent scholars and legal experts to produce forward-looking policy reports on how democracies can most effectively counter transnational repression;
• Create direct channels for policy-relevant academic research to reach lawmakers and officials in the United States, Canada, Europe, and other allied capitals;
• Close the persistent gap between scholarly analysis and actual government policymaking.

Dr. Elise Anderson spoke candidly at the launch about the stakes:
“Authoritarian leaders have faced few meaningful consequences, so they feel increasingly emboldened to export repression across borders, threatening fundamental rights and the security of democratic societies. For years, advocates have demanded stronger legislative action. Parts of the U.S. government have begun to respond — but far more remains to be done. With domestic and foreign policy winds shifting, this working group arrives at a critical juncture.”

The event also underscored growing congressional support for legislation such as the Transnational Repression Policy Act (introduced in various forms during the 119th Congress in 2025), which would mandate better interagency coordination, diplomat training, and protections against foreign governments’ extraterritorial abuses.

Recent developments continue to highlight the urgency for Uyghurs:

• The Council on Foreign Relations’ December 2025 brief warned that transnational repression cases surged sharply in 2025 and are projected to intensify further in 2026, with the PRC remaining the world’s leading perpetrator.
• The Congressional-Executive Commission on China’s 2025 Annual Report documented persistent PRC-led TNR tactics against Uyghur diaspora members, including family coercion and forced repatriation pressure.
• An August 2025 research report by David Tobin and Nyrola Elimä provided detailed prevention recommendations tailored to Uyghur and Kazakh communities — from enhanced cybersecurity practices to stronger local support networks.
• UN documentation from late 2025 recorded multiple reprisal incidents, including the widely reported February 2025 intimidation of Uyghur linguist Abduweli Ayup at a UNESCO-associated conference in Paris.

Advocacy momentum remains strong. The December 10, 2025 “Uyghur Genocide Resistance” conference on Capitol Hill — organized by the Uyghur Academy and Campaign for Uyghurs with World Uyghur Congress participation — renewed calls for comprehensive U.S. and international responses to China’s transnational violations.

New Lines Institute is one of the most prolific organizations on Uyghur issues, often publishing earlier and more thoroughly than others.

Their landmark March 2021 report, “The Uyghur Genocide: An Examination of China’s Breaches of the 1948 Genocide Convention”, was the first independent expert analysis to conclude that China bears state responsibility for genocide against the Uyghurs under international law.

New Lines plans follow-up launch events in London, Brussels, and Ottawa to expand the coalition of democratic states committed to ending borderless authoritarian repression.

To date, no Uyghur diaspora organization has released an official statement regarding the event.