Executive Summary

The assassinations of dissidents, activists, terrorists, and overall enemies abroad are not a new practice. Well-known examples from recent history include the assassination of Trotsky in Mexico in 1940 and CIA assassination attempts against Fidel Castro in the 1960s. However, in the past decade, international press reporting suggests an increase in targeted killings abroad by a growing list of nations, to include small global players like Laos, and occurring in a widening range of countries—the UK, Germany, Chile, Spain, Turkey, Canada, and the United Arab Emirates. Moreover, internationally conducted assassinations are evolving with technologies, including drones. Dissidents of numerous nations abroad have expressed concerns over their safety as countries worldwide fail to hold accountable those who orchestrate the killings and as a larger number of nation states adopt the practice. We do not see any indications that transnational targeted assassinations will further abate in the near term.

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