FBI Says China, Iran Using New Tactics to Harass Critics on US Soil

 FBI headquarters in Washington - Reuters
FBI headquarters in Washington - Reuters
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FBI Says China, Iran Using New Tactics to Harass Critics on US Soil

 FBI headquarters in Washington - Reuters
FBI headquarters in Washington - Reuters

China and Iran are becoming increasingly brazen in their attempts to silence dissidents on American soil and influence US policy, the FBI warned on Wednesday.

In a news briefing with reporters about transnational repression, FBI counterintelligence officials urged victims to come forward, saying the bureau is tracking a growing trend of foreign authoritarian regimes breaching US laws to intimidate certain communities, Reuters reported.

The officials said the governments have at times resorted to using private investigators to conduct surveillance on dissidents and that several criminal cases have been brought by federal prosecutors involving their use.

“A lot of these are new tactics and lines that are being crossed that we have not seen China and Iran do on US soil in previous investigations,” one FBI counterintelligence official said. He added that the FBI hoped to raise awareness of such trends and alert the private investigator sector and state and local law enforcement.

Officials said the goals of transnational repression schemes are multifaceted, and at times also aim to influence US policy decisions through “malign influence tactics.”

“We’ve really seen an inflection point in the tactics and tools, and the level of risk and the level of threat that have changed over the past few years,” another FBI counterintelligence official said.



Israel Cancels Visas for French Lawmakers

French Ecologist party deputy Francois Ruffin was among lawmakers who had their visas cancelled by Israel. JULIEN DE ROSA / AFP
French Ecologist party deputy Francois Ruffin was among lawmakers who had their visas cancelled by Israel. JULIEN DE ROSA / AFP
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Israel Cancels Visas for French Lawmakers

French Ecologist party deputy Francois Ruffin was among lawmakers who had their visas cancelled by Israel. JULIEN DE ROSA / AFP
French Ecologist party deputy Francois Ruffin was among lawmakers who had their visas cancelled by Israel. JULIEN DE ROSA / AFP

Israel's government cancelled visas for 27 French left-wing lawmakers and local officials two days before they were to start a visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories on Sunday, the group said.
The action came only days after Israel stopped two British members of parliament from the governing Labor party from entering the country, AFP said.
It also came amidst diplomatic tensions after President Emmanuel Macron said France would soon recognize a Palestinian state. Macron has in turn sought to pressure Netanyahu over conditions in Gaza amid the Israel-Hamas war.

Israel's interior ministry said visas for the 27 had been cancelled under a law that allows authorities to ban people who could act against the state of Israel.

Seventeen members of the group, from France's Ecologist and Communist parties, said they had been victims of "collective punishment" by Israel and called on Macron to intervene.

They said in a statement that they had been invited on a five-day trip by the French consulate in Jerusalem.

They had intended to visit Israel and the Palestinian territories as part of their mission to "strengthen international cooperation and the culture of peace", they added.

"For the first time, two days before our departure, the Israeli authorities cancelled our entry visas that had been approved one month ago," they said.

"We want to understand what led to this sudden decision, which resembles collective punishment," said the group.

'Major rupture'
The delegation included National Assembly deputies Francois Ruffin, Alexis Corbiere and Julie Ozenne from the Ecologist party, Communist deputy Soumya Bourouaha and Communist senator Marianne Margate.

The other members were left-wing town mayors and local lawmakers.

The statement denounced the ban as a "major rupture in diplomatic ties".

"Deliberately preventing elected officials and parliamentarians from travelling cannot be without consequences," the group said, demanding a meeting with Macron and action by the government to ensure Israel let them into the country.

The group said their parties had for decades called for recognition of a Palestinian state, which Macron said last week could come at an international conference in June.

Israeli authorities this month detained British members of parliament Yuan Yang and Abtisam Mohamed at Tel Aviv airport and deported them, citing the same reason. Britain's Foreign Secretary David Lammy called the action "unacceptable".

In February, Israel stopped two left-wing European parliament deputies, Franco-Palestinian Rima Hassan and Lynn Boylan from Ireland, from entering.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reacted with fury to France's possible recognition of a Palestinian state. He said establishing a Palestinian state next to Israel would be a "huge reward for terrorism".