Political repression is the oppression or persecution of an individual or group for political reasons, particularly for the purpose of restricting or preventing their ability to take part in the political life of society. Political repression may be represented by discriminatory policies, surveillance abuse, police misconduct including police brutality, and violent action such as the murder or forced disappearance of political activists and dissidents.

Where political repression is sanctioned and organised by the state, it may constitute state terrorism. Systemic and violent political repression is a typical feature of dictatorships, totalitarian states and similar regimes. In such regimes, acts of political repression may be carried out by secret police forces, paramilitary groups or death squads.

If political repression is not carried out with the approval of the state, a section of government may still be responsible. An example is the FBI COINTELPRO operations in the United States between 1956 and 1971.

In some states, such as the former Soviet Union, "repression" can be an official term and official policy with respect to internal political opponents of the state.

See also

• Amnesty International
• Death squad
• Dissident
• Forced disappearance
• Human rights abuse
• National security
• Police state
• Political killing
• Purge
• Secret police

External links

• COPSHOTS.org: Documenting Police Brutality; Documenting the Police

Further reading

• Understanding Covert Repressive Action: The Case of the U.S. Government against the Republic of New Africa (186kb PDF file) by Christian Davenport, Associate Professor, University of Maryland.

Books

• Donner, Frank J. (1980). The Age of Surveillance: The Aims and Methods of America’s Political Intelligence System. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 0394402987

• Donner, Frank J. (1990). Protectors of Privilege: Red Squads and Police Repression in Urban America. Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN 0520059514

• Goldstein, Robert Justin. (1978). Political Repression in Modern America, From 1870 to Present. Boston, G. K. Hall, Cambridge, MA: Schenkman. ISBN 0846703017

• Jensen, Joan M. Army Surveillance in America, 1775 - 1980. New Haven. Yale University Press. 1991. ISBN 0300046685. Book review retrieved April 3, 2006.

• Talbert, Jr. Roy. Negative Intelligence: The Army and the American Left, 1917 - 1941. Jackson. University Press of Mississippi, 1991. ISBN 0878054952. Book review retrieved April 3, 2006.

Human rights abuses | Persecution | Political repression

Repressalie | Репрессии | Državna represija | Politisk repression | 政治迫害