We are pleased to host a guest lecture by Prof. Gerasimos Tsourapas, Professor of International Relations at the University of Birmingham.
📅 Date: 27 April 2026
🥂 Catering: 16:00
🕓 Lecture: 16:30
📍 Location: University of Cyprus, New Campus, LRC 014
About the Lecture
This lecture examines how states extend repression beyond their territorial borders, focusing on enforced disappearances as one of the most extreme tools of transnational control. Moving beyond the assumption that repression stops at the state boundary, it explores how authoritarian regimes target diaspora populations through surveillance, coercion-by-proxy, and other forms of extraterritorial violence.
The talk also reflects on how international law engages with such practices, highlighting key gaps, particularly where repression is indirect, deniable, or mediated through transnational family and social networks.
Drawing on comparative cases, the lecture situates enforced disappearances within a broader repertoire of transnational governance strategies, including processes of legitimation and co-optation. It concludes by considering the implications for host states and institutions, and whether current legal and political responses are adequate to address the evolving reach of state power.
About the Speaker
Prof. Gerasimos Tsourapas is Professor of International Relations at the University of Birmingham. His research focuses on international migration, diaspora politics, and the international dimensions of authoritarianism.