Human Rights Watch (HRW) released its annual report stating that the United States under Donald Trump's administration is heading toward an authoritarian regime, citing severe human rights violations including the domestic use of military force and the deportation of refugees to detention abroad, while global freedoms have declined back to Cold War-era levels.
Human Rights Watch (HRW), a New York–based human rights organization, issued a statement declaring that President Donald Trump's return has accelerated a "cycle of decline" in global human rights, which were already under pressure from the expanding influence of Russia and China. The report notes that the world order based on rule-based borders is being dismantled.
The 529-page report highlights a severe situation in the US, describing a "blatant disregard for human rights," citing unprecedented incidents compared to previous years, such as armed, masked agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) conducting numerous excessively violent raids on refugees, and the deployment of the National Guard under pretexts of consolidating power, retaliating against political opponents, and attempting to expand executive authority to undermine democratic checks and balances.
HRW emphasized investigations revealing US involvement in "enforced disappearances," an international crime, citing the case of deporting 252 Venezuelan migrants to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador, where reports indicate the men were subjected to torture and sexual abuse before eventually being allowed to enter Venezuela.
The report states that global democracy levels have fallen to those seen in 1985, when the Soviet Union still existed, comparing that "today Russia and China have less freedom than 20 years ago, and the US is in a similar condition."
Philippe Bolopion, HRW's executive director, called on countries to unite as an alliance upholding democratic values and international law to counterbalance the Trump administration, which often employs tariff walls and unilateral diplomacy.
This HRW report sharply contradicts the US State Department's report, which toned down criticism of Trump allies such as El Salvador, where the State Department claimed no credible reports of human rights violations in 2024. HRW argued that although crime rates dropped, Salvadoran authorities engaged in widespread unlawful arrests, torture, and due process violations in 2025.
Additionally, HRW reaffirmed accusations against Israel of committing "crimes against humanity and genocide" against Palestinians in Gaza, stating that in 2025 Israel escalated killings, mutilations, and starvation tactics, and destroyed infrastructure at unprecedented levels—allegations firmly denied by both Israel and the US.
Source: AFP