Tracing Shifting Host Country Problematization(s) of Transnational Repression: The Evolution of Swedish Efforts to Counter “Refugee Espionage”

Abstract

ABSTRACT Not least since the brutal killing of Saudi journalist and regime-critic Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi embassy in Istanbul in late 2018 has the question of transnational repression emerged on the agendas of human rights activists, policy makers, and scholars of migration and authoritarianism. Such practices are commonly conceptualized as a dyadic interaction between repressor and repressed. However, on closer inspection, the dyad is, in fact, a triad. Relatively few studies account for or explore the context in which such acts of transnational repression occur: the countries of residence in which targets and victims reside. Taking inspiration from the problematization framework, this article deepens our understanding of the complex and multifaceted ways in which Sweden, a country often lauded for its comprehensive approach and response to transnational repression, has constructed “refugee espionage” as a challenge not only for law enforcement and intelligence agencies but also, Swedish bilateral relations and sovereignty. Through an in-depth analysis of 21 annual reports published by the Swedish Security Service (SÄPO), the article shows how the conceptualization and problematization of the issue has – often in response to particular incidents – become both broader and wider over time.