Dr. Rebecca Cordell is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Pittsburgh who specializes in human rights and state repression. Repression against individuals or groups who try to share information with United Nations human rights bodies is meant to silence critics and influence what the UN records about a country. By punishing those who work with the UN, governments try to block a key channel between abuse at home and international attention—and, ultimately, accountability. This talk examines why some states use this kind of UN-focused repression more than others, focusing on domestic factors such as levels of democracy and international factors such as their views on human rights.