Inside China’s Machinery of Repression—and How it Crushes Dissent Around the World

In the latest International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) exposé, China Targets: Transnational Repression Hits Home, VOC and Dr. Adrian Zenz played a critical role in bringing to light China’s expanding efforts to intimidate and suppress dissent beyond its borders. VOC shared with the investigation team an internal Chinese government presentation from the Xinjiang Police Files archive that outlined the systematic management of so-called “Focus Persons” through a combination of covert surveillance, coercive administrative controls, psychological pressure, and re-education.

Accompanied by expert interpretation from Dr. Zenz, this document formed a foundational component of the evidentiary base of the investigation and deepened the ICIJ team’s understanding of how China’s domestic repression architecture underpins its global strategies for silencing dissent. Following publication, the investigation attracted wide international media coverage, appearing in outlets such as The Washington Post, Der Spiegel, NHK, DW Turkish, El País, Radio France, Domani, Convoca, Vistazo, Context, Le Soir, and Verdens Gang, among others.