Global system of human rights in peril', warns HRW in its annual report

"Under relentless pressure from US President Donald Trump, and persistently undermined by China and Russia, the rules-based international order is being crushed, threatening to take with it the architecture human rights defenders have come to rely on to advance norms and protect freedoms, Philippe Bolopion, executive director at HRW, said in a statement. To defy this trend, governments that still value human rights, alongside social movements, civil society, and international institutions, need to form a strategic alliance to push back."

"Human Rights Watch (HRW) has released its annual World Report 2026, warning that the global system of human rights is in peril, with 72 percent of the world's population now living under autocracy. In the report (PDF) published on Wednesday, the rights body warned that the United States, China and Russia are led by leaders who share open disdain for norms, and wield considerable economic, military, and diplomatic power."

Seventy-two percent of the world's population now live under autocracy. The United States, China, and Russia are led by leaders who openly disdain norms and wield considerable economic, military, and diplomatic power. Under relentless pressure from the US and persistent undermining by China and Russia, the rules-based international order is weakening and threatening the architecture human rights defenders rely on to advance norms and protect freedoms. Immigrants and asylum seekers have faced inhumane conditions and degrading treatment, with 32 deaths in US Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody in 2025 and four more in January 2026. Additional actions include the unlawful abduction of Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro, withdrawals from the UN Human Rights Council and the World Health Organization, and sanctions on Palestinian human rights organisations, International Criminal Court officials, and a UN special rapporteur.

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