German spy agency opens helpline for those exiled from Russia, China

FRANKFURT, Aug 20 - People exiled in Germany under threat or attack from agents of their repressive home countries now have a support line to call, courtesy of the country's domestic intelligence service.

Germany's BfV, the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, on Thursday published a brochure advertising a helpline for people who found refuge in Germany from authoritarian nations such as Russia, China or Iran.

Those people, who increasingly face intimidation, surveillance, repression or even abduction and assassination attempts, are encouraged to help the BfV in analysing repressive strategies and how to counter them.

The brochure, which addresses people under threat for being dissidents, journalists or members of the LGBTQ community, even offers hope that the BfV can thwart the specific threats a caller is facing.

"Through both its own investigations and information provided by the individuals concerned, the domestic intelligence service is able to track down those responsible," a section in the 16-page brochure reads.

The outreach comes as Berlin seeks to grant intelligence services new powers to hack communications and disrupt foreign adversaries' operations to counter what officials have described as a growing threat from cyber and hybrid attacks.

The measures, which have been under discussion for months, would give the BfV, as well as the foreign intelligence service BND, broader authority to collect data and thwart attacks. REUTERS