Remember, too, that people who are attacked may quite justifiably be affected psychologically. For most dissidents, suppression is hard to deal with. It also often becomes the person's primary concern, driving others away. Dissidents shouldn't be blamed for difficulties which have been brought on them by others. A few dissidents are saints, but most are normal human beings with the usual range of human frailties.
Some dissidents have quite nasty personal characteristics.
But in every case, dissent should be protected. The focus should be on opposing suppression and ensuring freedom of speech, not on the psychology of those attacked. Not everyone who speaks out is attacked. Only some are. There are all sorts of factors involved.