THE Trump administration’s aggressive stance against universal human rights is accelerating global declines in protections, according to Amnesty International’s 2025 annual report, “The State of the World’s Human Rights,” released Tuesday, April 29.
Amnesty warned that President Trump’s second-term policies have intensified harmful global trends, dismantled key institutions, and emboldened authoritarian leaders. The result, the group said, is a more brutal, unjust, and unstable world.
“This ‘Trump effect’ has compounded damage caused by other world leaders. It’s accelerating humanity’s descent into a brutal new era of authoritarianism and corporate greed,” said Agnès Callamard, Amnesty’s secretary general.
The report, covering 150 countries, highlighted severe crackdowns on dissent, escalating armed conflicts, and growing attacks on the rights of migrants, women, and LGBTI people. Amnesty warned that these crises could worsen in 2025 without urgent global action.
Among the most damning examples cited was Israel’s war in Gaza, described by Amnesty as a “live-streamed but unheeded genocide,” and the international community’s failure to uphold humanitarian law.
“The most powerful states are abandoning international law and multilateral institutions,” Callamard said.
The report also documented widespread government repression, including media bans, NGO closures, and arrests of activists under vague terrorism laws.
In Bangladesh, police shot dead nearly 1,000 student protesters. Mozambique saw its deadliest protest crackdown in years, leaving at least 277 people dead.
Despite crackdowns, people power prevailed in some places. South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol was ousted after declaring martial law and suspending human rights protections. Massive public protests forced his removal and reversal of the measures.
Amnesty documented war crimes and humanitarian law violations in multiple conflict zones.
It accused Israel of genocide in Gaza and increasing violence in the West Bank. Russia intensified attacks on Ukrainian civilians, while Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces carried out widespread sexual violence.
Conflicts in Sudan, Myanmar, and Syria were exacerbated by cuts in U.S. foreign aid under Trump, the group said. The funding loss forced the closure of hospitals, refugee services, and humanitarian programs in multiple countries.
“The Trump administration’s foreign policy choices are worsening humanitarian conditions. This is not just neglect. It’s active harm,” Callamard said.
Amnesty cited climate inaction as a major failure of 2024. COP29 was described as a “catastrophe,” dominated by fossil fuel lobbyists.
Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris Agreement and promotion of fossil fuel drilling only deepened the crisis, the report stated.
“Last year was the hottest on record. Fires, floods, and droughts claimed lives across the globe. And yet leaders failed to act,” Callamard said.
Extreme poverty and inequality deepened as billionaire wealth soared. Governments used racist and xenophobic rhetoric to blame migrants and refugees for economic stagnation, instead of addressing systemic issues, Amnesty said.
The report also documented growing restrictions on women’s and LGBTI rights. The Taliban and Iranian authorities imposed harsher rules, while countries including Malawi, Uganda, and Georgia passed anti-LGBTI laws.
Amnesty said the Trump administration amplified these efforts by cutting funding for gender justice programs and opposing transgender rights.
Tech companies were also criticized. Amnesty accused social media platforms of rolling back content moderation, spreading disinformation, and aligning with state interests.
Trump’s close ties to tech billionaires, Amnesty warned, risk entrenching a system of “corporate capture of state power.”
Despite these trends, the report noted signs of hope. The International Criminal Court issued new arrest warrants for officials from Israel, Libya, Myanmar, and Russia. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories unlawful. South Africa and other Global South countries formed a Hague-based group to push accountability and block arms transfers to Israel.
“Even as the Trump administration imposes sanctions on the ICC prosecutor, others are stepping up to defend international justice. We must support them,” Callamard said.
Amnesty urged governments, civil society, and individuals to resist anti-rights movements and restore commitment to international law.
“History shows that people can defeat authoritarianism. In 2024, millions raised their voices against injustice. We must continue this fight, united by our belief in human dignity and rights for all,” Callamard said.
