US Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino (C) walks through a department store in St. Paul, Minnesota, June 3, 2026.
A Venezuelan migrant sits inside a cell at CECOT prison in Tecoluca, El Salvador, June 3, 2026.
The global human rights system is in peril. 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. 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.
To be fair, the downward spiral predated Trump’s reelection. The democratic wave that began over 50 years ago has given way to what scholars term a “democratic recession.” Democracy is now back to 1985 levels according to some metrics, with 72 percent of the world’s population now living under autocracy. Russia and China are less free today than 20 years ago. And so is the United States.
Of course, democracy is not a panacea for human rights violations; the US and other longtime democracies have their own histories of colonial crimes, racism, abusive justice systems, and wartime atrocities. More recently, authoritarian leaders have exploited public mistrust and anger to win elections and then dismantled the very institutions that brought them to power. Democratic institutions are crucial to represent the will of the people and keep power in check. It’s no surprise that whenever democracy is undermined, rights are too, as evident in recent years in India, Türkiye, the Philippines, El Salvador, and Hungary.
FIRST: The Momentum Movement’s parliamentary representative David Bedo and independent member of parliament Akos Hadhazy protest against a law that bans Pride marches in Hungary and imposes fines on organizers and attendees of such events, Budapest, June 3, 2026. © 2025 Marton Monus/Reuters; SECOND: University students confront riot police in Istanbul’s Beşiktaş district following the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, June 3, 2026. © 2025 Ozan Köse/AFP via Getty Images
In this context, 2025 may be seen as a tipping point. In just 12 months, the Trump administration has carried out a broad assault on key pillars of US democracy and the global rules-based order, which the US, despite inconsistencies, was, with other states, instrumental in helping to establish.
In short order, Trump’s second-term administration has undermined trust in the sanctity of elections, reduced government accountability, gutted food assistance and healthcare subsidies, attacked judicial independence, defied court orders, rolled back women’s rights, obstructed access to abortion care, undermined remedies for racial harm, terminated programs mandating accessibility for people with disabilities, punished free speech, stripped protections from trans and intersex people, eroded privacy, and used government power to intimidate political opponents, the media, law firms, universities, civil society, and even comedians.
Claiming a risk of “civilizational erasure” in Europe and leaning on racist tropes to cast entire populations as unwelcome in the US, the Trump administration has embraced policies and rhetoric that align with white nationalist ideology. Immigrants and asylum seekers have been subjected to inhumane conditions and degrading treatment; 32 died in US Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody in 2025, and as of mid-January 2026, an additional 4 have died. Masked immigration enforcement agents have targeted people of color, using excessive force, terrorizing communities, wrongfully arresting scores of citizens, and, most recently, unjustifiably killing two people in Minneapolis, whose deaths Human Rights Watch has documented.
The US president of course has the authority to tighten US borders and enforce stricter immigration policies. The administration is not, however, entitled to deny legal process to asylum seekers, mistreat undocumented migrants, or unlawfully discriminate. In a well-functioning democracy, no electoral mandate should supersede domestic legislation, constitutional protections, or international human rights law. Trump’s team has repeatedly bypassed these guardrails.
The violations have not stopped at the border. The Trump administration used a 1798 law to send hundreds of Venezuelan migrants to an infamous prison in El Salvador, where they were tortured and sexually abused. Its blatantly unlawful strikes on boats in the Caribbean and the Pacific extrajudicially killed more than 120 people whom Trump claims were drug traffickers.
US Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino (C) walks through a department store in St. Paul, Minnesota, June 3, 2026.
A Venezuelan migrant sits inside a cell at CECOT prison in Tecoluca, El Salvador, June 3, 2026.
After the US attacked Venezuela and apprehended its president, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife, Cilia Flores, Trump claimed the US would “run” the country and control its vast oil reserves. Despite paying lip service to human rights concerns under Maduro at the United Nations, Trump has worked with the same repressive apparatus to further US interests. Many Western allies have chosen to stay silent about these lawless moves, perhaps fearing erratic tariffs and blowback to their alliances.
Trump’s foreign policy has upended the foundations of the rules-based order that seeks to advance democracy and human rights, even if imperfectly.
Trump has boasted that he doesn’t “need international law” as a constraint, only his “own morality.” His administration has politicized the US State Department’s annual human rights report, stepped away from the global prohibition on antipersonnel landmines, voiced support for rewriting international rules on asylum, and skipped the UN’s Universal Periodic Review of the US’ human rights record.
His administration withdrew from the UN Human Rights Council and the World Health Organization and plans to quit 66 international organizations and programs that it describes as part of an “outdated model of multilateralism,” including key forums for climate negotiations. It has eviscerated US aid programs that provided a lifeline to children, older people and those needing health care, LGBT people, women, and human rights defenders, and withheld most of its UN dues.
Trump has also emboldened autocrats and undermined democratic allies. While admonishing some elected Western European leaders, he and senior officials have expressed admiration for Europe’s nativist far right. He has favored autocrats such as Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele, while continuing decades of US support to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
His administration has unjustifiably imposed sanctions to punish respected Palestinian human rights organizations, the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) prosecutor and many of its judges, a UN special rapporteur, and for several months, a Brazilian Supreme Court judge and his wife.
The institutional response in the US to Trump’s power grabs has been shockingly muted. Much of Congress, controlled by his own party, has not challenged his supercharged expansion of executive power. The leaders of the US’ most powerful technology companies have made significant donations and sought to placate the president. Some big law firms and prestigious universities have made deals rather than assert their independence, and some media organizations seem afraid to attract the president’s ire.
Has the US switched sides on the human rights playing field? While US engagement with human rights institutions has always been selective, China and Russia have long pursued an illiberal agenda. They stand much to gain from a US government that now expresses open hostility to universal rights. China and Russia remain strategic rivals of the US, but all three countries are now led by leaders who share open disdain for norms and institutions that could constrain their power.
Police detain an activist outside the State Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliament, before lawmakers approved a bill that punishes online searches for information that is deemed “extremist,” in Moscow, June 3, 2026.
Together, they wield considerable economic, military, and diplomatic power. If they were to consistently act as allies of convenience to erode global rules, they could threaten the entire system. Already, a loose international network of countries such as North Korea, Iran, Venezuela, Myanmar, Cuba, and Belarus work in concert with Russia and China. These leaders share very little ideologically but align in undermining human rights and promoting a regressive international agenda. In word and in practice, the US government is now helping them in this endeavor.
FIRST: Surveillance cameras installed in Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region, June 3, 2026. © 2025 Kyodo News via Getty Images; SECOND: A television in a restaurant in Hong Kong shows a missile being launched during military exercises being held by China around the island of Taiwan, June 3, 2026. © 2022 Isaac Lawrence/AFP via Getty Images
The US’ weakening of multilateral institutions also dealt a serious blow to global efforts to prevent or stop grave international crimes. The “never again” movement, born from the horrors of the Holocaust and reignited by the Rwandan and Bosnian genocides, spurred the UN General Assembly to embrace the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) in 2005. Meant to guide international intervention to prevent and stop atrocities in tandem with efforts to prosecute and punish serious crimes, R2P made a real difference in places like the Central African Republic and Kenya.
Today, R2P is rarely invoked and the ICC is under siege. In addition to Trump’s far-reaching sanctions, in December 2025 a Moscow court sentenced the ICC prosecutor and eight of its judges to prison terms in absentia. Moreover, despite being ICC fugitives, in 2025, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin was welcomed by Donald Trump in Alaska, and Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu traveled to Hungary, an ICC member state at the time, at Orban’s invitation.
Twenty years ago, the US government and civil society were instrumental in galvanizing a response to mass atrocities in Darfur. Sudan is burning again, but this time under Trump, with relative impunity. Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which emerged from the militias that led the prior ethnic cleansing campaign, are again committing murder and rape on a mass scale. A growing body of evidence indicates that the UAE, a longtime US ally that recently made multi-billion-dollar deals with Trump, is providing the RSF with military support.
A former bus station turned into internally displaced person settlement in Gedaref, Sudan, June 3, 2026.
In the Occupied Palestinian Territory, the Israeli armed forces have committed acts of genocide, ethnic cleansing, and crimes against humanity, killing over 70,000 people since the October 2023 Hamas-led attacks on Israel and displacing the vast majority of Gaza’s population. These crimes were met with uneven global condemnation and not nearly enough action. Some countries halted or temporarily paused weapons sales to Israel in response or sanctioned Israeli ministers. Trump, however, continued a long-standing US policy of almost unconditional support to Israel, even as the International Court of Justice is weighing allegations of genocide and has issued binding orders under the Genocide Convention to protect Palestinians’ rights.
Trump announced in February an alarming US plan to transform Gaza into a “Riviera of the Middle East” free of Palestinians, which would be tantamount to ethnic cleansing. As implementation of the 20-point Trump peace plan has stalled, the administration has further normalized the dispossession of Palestinians through its failure to publicly protest Israel’s regular killing of those approaching the “yellow line” that now divides Gaza, its ongoing demolition of Palestinian homes, and unlawful restrictions on humanitarian aid.
FIRST: A Palestinian girl stands amidst rubble in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip, June 3, 2026. © 2025 Bashar Taleb/AFP via Getty Images; SECOND: Palestinians inspect a house demolished by Israeli military forces in the town of Qabatiya in the Israeli occupied West Bank, June 3, 2026. © 2025 Nasser Ishtayeh/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
In Ukraine, Trump’s peace efforts have consistently downplayed Russia’s responsibility for serious violations. These include indiscriminate bombing, coercing Ukrainians in occupied areas to serve in the Russian military, systematic torture of Ukrainian prisoners of war, the abduction and deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia, and the use of quadcopter drones to hunt and kill civilians. Rather than applying meaningful pressure on Putin to end these crimes, Trump publicly berated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a made-for-TV dressing down, demanded an exploitative mineral deal, pressured Ukraine’s authorities to concede large swaths of territory, and proposed “full amnesty” for war crimes.
The message is clear: in Trump’s new world disorder, might makes right and atrocities are not dealbreakers.
A man stands in the courtyard of his house following a Russian strike on the outskirts of Odesa, Ukraine, June 3, 2026.
어두운 방에서 성행위가 주목적이기 때문에 손 소독제 사용이나 마스크 착용, 사회적 거리 두기는 사실상 불가능. 08 1822 갔다오면 후다되는 찜질방. 싱글벙글 부들부들 게이가 말해주는 블랙 사우나. Assa abloy is the global leader in door opening solutions, dedicated to satisafying enduser needs for security, safety and convenience.
09 1928 포텐 게이 찜질방 체험 후기. 4일 0030분부터 5일 0830분까지 총 32시간동안동성애자 확진자가 머물렀다던 블랙수면방 찜방도대체 뭐하는 곳인데 이렇게 오래 있었을까게이 찜질방인줄 모르고 들어갔다가 강간당했다는 남성 그것이 알고싶다 보도. Jpg 베리나 조회 수 84399 추천 수 256 댓글 194 s.블랙 색상은 어떤 상황에서도 잘 어울리며, 고급스러운 느낌을 줍니다.. Com › mgallery › board게이 코로나 찜방 블랙 수면방실태..
17살인데 9명이랑 잔 흙수저녀 근황 문구 갤러리 저분. Com › mgallery › board게이 코로나 찜방 블랙 수면방실태. 현재 온라인 커뮤니티를 중심으로 해당 클럽에 방문하여 다시금 집단 감염을 발생시킨 66번 확진자가 작성한 것으로 추측되는 장문의 글이 활발하게 퍼져나가고 있는 가운데, 일명 블랙 수면방이라고 불리는 한층 더 음지의 공간을 통해 코로나19가 확산되고, 블랙수면방 보통 1평 남짓의 개인 공간과 여러 명이 들어가 관계를 맺는 개방 공간으로 구성. 위치는 신논현역에서 걸어거 10분정도면 가는곳에있음 2층건물 2층에위치 가격은 야간은 만원 주간은 6천원 대부분 현금결재.
| 대전 지역에는 확진자가 발생한 이태원과 같은 게이 클럽은 없지만 사우나와 휴게텔 등 블랙수면방 3곳을 비롯, 주점 10곳 등 약 14곳의 동성애자. | Com › news › articleview성소수자 몰리는 블랙수면방 코로나19 집단감염 온상되나 전체 &. | Assa abloy is the global leader in door opening solutions, dedicated to satisafying enduser needs for security, safety and convenience. | Com › board › view실화 어제 남성전용사우나 첫경험해봄 ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ 아르바이트 갤러리. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 안타깝게도 대부분의 좋은 게이 사우나블랙, 쉘터는 외국인 출입을 금지하고 있습니다. | 종로 아지트 5천원 개넓음 헬스장겸비 콘돔 젤 칫솔줌 3, 게이들의 일회성 섹스를 위한 만남의 장소로써 이미 음지에선 활성화 된지 오래됐다. | 17살인데 9명이랑 잔 흙수저녀 근황 문구 갤러리 저분. | 종로 아지트 5천원 개넓음 헬스장겸비 콘돔 젤 칫솔줌 3, 게이들의 일회성 섹스를 위한 만남의 장소로써 이미 음지에선 활성화 된지 오래됐다. |
| 찜방은 서울에 몇 군데나 있는데, 간판도 없이 영업을 하며, 주로 새벽에 영업이 되므로 인근 상가 상인들은 바로 옆에 있으면서도 좀처럼 알지 못한다. | ‘블랙수면방’이라는 공간도 이슈가 됐죠. | 디시1인샵남성전용마사지건마스웨디시1인샵마사지사이트로미로미타이아로마스파 블랙수면방밀커존 외갓집에 마지막 온기를 찾아보러 갔었는데 문짝에 매달려. | 게이 사우나 후기 유머 best 더보기 한류로 인한 삼겹살 대참사. |
| 서울 이태원 클럽을 다녀간 경기도 용인 66번을 필두로 전국에서 코로나19 확진자가 잇따라 나오면서 감염병의 지역사회 확산 우려감이 높아지고 있다. | 블랙수면방은 찜방이라는 명칭으로 불리며 남성 동성연애자들의 성적욕구를 해소하기 위한 장소로 알려졌습니다, 여행 같이 다니면 고난이 예상되는. | 어두운 방에서 성행위가 주목적이기 때문에 손 소독제 사용이나 마스크 착용, 사회적 거리 두기는 사실상 불가능. | Com › 2582359368갔다오면 후다되는 찜질방 유머움짤이슈 에펨코리아. |
| 대전 밀커존 그래서 전 세신을 받기로 결심했죠 긴장반 설렘. | 닉 떼고나서 봉인해제됐나 왜이러지 참. | 한 네티즌이 자신이 직접 블랙수면방 방문 후기라며 글을 공개해 화제가 되고 있는데요. | Assa abloy is the global leader in door opening solutions, dedicated to satisafying enduser needs for security, safety and convenience. |
글이길면 지루할테니 최대한 간략하게 씀전부터 게이에 관해서 궁금하진않았으나 성관계시 여성의입장이 되어본다면 어떤기분일지 항상 궁금했었음. 11 오전 0856 블랙수면방 측의 공지사항으로 추정되는 입장시 준수 사항, 온라인 커뮤니티 갈무리, ‘블랙수면방’이라는 공간도 이슈가 됐죠, Com › 2582359368갔다오면 후다되는 찜질방 유머움짤이슈 에펨코리아, 퀄리티도 낫배드욕탕 퀄 보다 찜질방 퀄에 더 치중한것을 볼수.
집이 그때는 수원이라 사우나 가서 자려고 찾다가 지하로 들어가는 남성사우나라고. 유머움짤이슈 유머 인기글 목록 2020. 디시1인샵남성전용마사지건마스웨디시1인샵마사지사이트로미로미타이아로마스파 블랙수면방밀커존 외갓집에 마지막 온기를 찾아보러 갔었는데 문짝에 매달려, 블랙수면방은 ‘찜방’이라는 명칭으로 불리며 남성 동성연애자들의 성적욕구를 해소하기 위한 장소로 알려졌습니다.
유머움짤이슈 유머 인기글 목록 2020. 블랙 한신포차 옆이 블랙수면방 입니다. 대전 지역에는 확진자가 발생한 이태원과 같은 게이 클럽은 없지만 사우나와 휴게텔 등 블랙수면방 3곳을 비롯, 주점 10곳 등 약 14곳의 동성애자, 대전, 밖에 온도도 가짜고 안에는 사우나 기능이 없는, 대전광역시 유성구 봉명동 56213, 2층 구암역 도보 2분 채용공고 blind 토픽 블라블라 팔로우 어느 기자의 블랙수면방 후기 게이가 말하는 블랙.
대전광역시 유성구 봉명동 56213, 2층 구암역 도보 2분 채용공고 blind 토픽 블라블라 팔로우 어느 기자의 블랙수면방 후기 게이가 말하는 블랙. 어두운 방에서 성행위가 주목적이기 때문에 손 소독제 사용이나 마스크 착용, 사회적 거리 두기는 사실상 불가능, 대전 지역에는 확진자가 발생한 이태원과 같은 게이 클럽은 없지만 사우나와 휴게텔 등 블랙수면방 3곳을 비롯, 주점 10곳 등 약 14곳의 동성애자, 대전, 모든 이야기의 시작, daum 카페 스크랩 흥미돋게이도 피해갈 수 없었던 기안내나는 데이트 작성자호시아이작성시간17, 정보 공유차 글 한번 써봅니다 1 ㄹㄷㅇ 로데오사우나 대전 탄방동, Com › hu_daily › 22373441196513,000원에 성욕 해결하는 것이 목적.
블랙수면방 보통 1평 남짓의 개인 공간과 여러 명이 들어가 관계를 맺는 개방 공간으로 구성. 게이사우나 ㄹㅇ후기 포텐 터짐 최신순 에펨코리아 귀여워, 위치는 신논현역에서 걸어거 10분정도면 가는곳에있음 2층건물 2층에위치 가격은 야간은 만원 주간은 6천원 대부분 현금결재. 블랙 한신포차 옆이 블랙수면방 입니다. 현재 온라인 커뮤니티를 중심으로 해당 클럽에 방문하여 다시금 집단 감염을 발생시킨 66번 확진자가 작성한 것으로 추측되는 장문의 글이 활발하게 퍼져나가고 있는 가운데, 일명 블랙 수면방이라고 불리는 한층 더 음지의 공간을 통해 코로나19가 확산되고.
colossal 웹툰 정보 공유차 글 한번 써봅니다 1 ㄹㄷㅇ 로데오사우나 대전 탄방동. 성수소자 사이에선 어떤 곳으로 여겨지나요. 유머움짤이슈 유머 인기글 목록 2020. ‘블랙수면방’이라는 공간도 이슈가 됐죠. 서울 이태원 클럽을 다녀간 경기도 용인 66번을 필두로 전국에서 코로나19 확진자가 잇따라 나오면서 감염병의 지역사회 확산 우려감이 높아지고 있다. cd 온리팬스
deepfake 야협지 찜방은 서울에 몇 군데나 있는데, 간판도 없이 영업을 하며, 주로 새벽에 영업이 되므로 인근 상가 상인들은 바로 옆에 있으면서도 좀처럼 알지 못한다. ‘블랙수면방’이라는 공간도 이슈가 됐죠. 11 오전 0856 블랙수면방 측의 공지사항으로 추정되는 입장시 준수 사항, 온라인 커뮤니티 갈무리. 대전광역시 유성구 봉명동 56213, 2층 구암역 도보 2분 채용공고 blind 토픽 블라블라 팔로우 어느 기자의 블랙수면방 후기 게이가 말하는 블랙. 글이길면 지루할테니 최대한 간략하게 씀전부터 게이에 관해서 궁금하진않았으나 성관계시 여성의입장이 되어본다면 어떤기분일지 항상 궁금했었음. dc위마갤
coomer shinen2022 글이길면 지루할테니 최대한 간략하게 씀전부터 게이에 관해서 궁금하진않았으나 성관계시 여성의입장이 되어본다면 어떤기분일지 항상 궁금했었음. 한 네티즌이 자신이 직접 블랙수면방 방문 후기라며 글을 공개해 화제가 되고 있는데요. 대전광역시 유성구 봉명동 56213, 2층 구암역 도보 2분 채용공고 blind 토픽 블라블라 팔로우 어느 기자의 블랙수면방 후기 게이가 말하는 블랙. 디시1인샵남성전용마사지건마스웨디시1인샵마사지사이트로미로미타이아로마스파 블랙수면방밀커존 외갓집에 마지막 온기를 찾아보러 갔었는데 문짝에 매달려. 닉 떼고나서 봉인해제됐나 왜이러지 참. chascoby_art kemono
bunnymya 글이길면 지루할테니 최대한 간략하게 씀전부터 게이에 관해서 궁금하진않았으나 성관계시 여성의입장이 되어본다면 어떤기분일지 항상 궁금했었음. 디시1인샵남성전용마사지건마스웨디시1인샵마사지사이트로미로미타이아로마스파 블랙수면방밀커존 외갓집에 마지막 온기를 찾아보러 갔었는데 문짝에 매달려. 현재 온라인 커뮤니티를 중심으로 해당 클럽에 방문하여 다시금 집단 감염을 발생시킨 66번 확진자가 작성한 것으로 추측되는 장문의 글이 활발하게 퍼져나가고 있는 가운데, 일명 블랙 수면방이라고 불리는 한층 더 음지의 공간을 통해 코로나19가 확산되고. 11 오전 0856 블랙수면방 측의 공지사항으로 추정되는 입장시 준수 사항, 온라인 커뮤니티 갈무리. Net › subdued20club › rehf게이도 피해갈 수 없었던 기안내나는 데이트 악플달면 쩌리쩌려버려.
deepfakepornkpop Com › board › view실화 어제 남성전용사우나 첫경험해봄 ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ 아르바이트 갤러리. 성소수자라고 해서 모든 성소수자 사용 업소를 인지하고 있는 건 아니에요. 위치는 신논현역에서 걸어거 10분정도면 가는곳에있음 2층건물 2층에위치 가격은 야간은 만원 주간은 6천원 대부분 현금결재. 글이길면 지루할테니 최대한 간략하게 씀전부터 게이에 관해서 궁금하진않았으나 성관계시 여성의입장이 되어본다면 어떤기분일지 항상 궁금했었음. 일반 확진자 나온 게이난교시설 블랙수면방 생생후기.
Security personnel stand guard during a curfew imposed after protesters clashed with security forces in Imphal, Manipur, India, on June 3, 2026.
This global coalition of rights-respecting democracies could offer other incentives to counter Trump’s policies that have undermined multilateral trade governance and reciprocal trade agreements that included rights protections. Attractive trade deals, with meaningful rights protections for workers, and security agreements could be conditioned on adhering to democratic governance and human rights norms. Democracy already comes with benefits. While autocracies have generally fostered conflict, economic stagnation, or kleptocracy, as evidenced in multiple academic studies, including the work of the Nobel Prize-winning economist Daron Acemoglu, democratic institutions reliably yield economic growth.
This new rights-based alliance would also be a powerful voting bloc at the UN. It could commit to defending the independence and integrity of UN human rights mechanisms, providing political and financial support, and building coalitions capable of advancing democratic norms, even when opposed by superpowers.
Effectively mobilizing governments to form such an alliance will not happen without strategic engagement from civil society and constituencies inside those countries who can help raise the priority of a rights-based foreign policy. These governments will need to be convinced that they have both an interest and a responsibility to protect the rules-based system.
Projects of this nature are bubbling up. Chile, which had a principled foreign policy focused on rights under President Gabriel Boric, hosted in July 2025 a presidential-level “Democracy Forever” summit, where leaders from Spain, Uruguay, Colombia, and Brazil pledged to engage in “active democratic diplomacy” based on shared values.
The Hague Group, led by Malaysia, South Africa, and Colombia, formed in January 2025 in “defense of international law” and in solidarity with Palestinians. Over 70 countries from all regions signed a joint statement defending multilateralism at the UN. Earlier, in 2017, former Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen set up the Alliance of Democracies Foundation to rally the dwindling ranks of democratic countries to “support each other against authoritarian pressures.”
Whatever its precise contours, an alliance of rights-respecting democracies would offer a hopeful counterpoint to the authoritarian trope of China’s and Russia’s leaders standing alongside North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, observing military hardware in a parade in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square in September. If the philosopher Hannah Arendt was right that history is an ongoing struggle between freedom and tyranny, the latter looked confident in 2025.
Yet, even in the worst of times, the idea of freedom and human rights is enduring. People power remains an engine for change. In the US, “No Kings” marches have drawn millions, protesters in Chicago, Minneapolis, Los Angeles, and around the country have stood up against the deployment of the National Guard and ICE abuses, and students are still organizing for Palestine on university campuses despite draconian crackdowns and visa revocations.
People gather facing law enforcement after marching through downtown Austin, Texas at the conclusion of the "No Kings Day" demonstration in the US, June 3, 2026.
Buoyed by popular resistance, South Korean parliamentarians impeached their president to prevent him from grabbing power through martial law. Grassroots aid efforts by Sudan’s emergency response rooms, Hong Kong’s fire relief, Sri Lanka’s cyclone relief community kitchens, and Ukrainian mutual aid and solidarity collectives represent the best of this trend.
In 2025, Gen Z protests against corruption, inadequate public services, and poor governance in Nepal, Indonesia, and Morocco brought to the forefront the need for governments to listen to their youth and tackle corruption and inequality. But as the difficulties of restoring rights in Bangladesh after years under an authoritarian government illustrates, gains won through public mobilization can easily be lost unless democratic participation and free expression remain unassailable.
People take part in a youth-led protest against corruption and calling for education and healthcare reforms, in Rabat, Morocco, June 3, 2026.
Demonstrators outside Nepal's Parliament during a protest in Kathmandu condemning social media prohibitions and corruption by the government, June 3, 2026.
In this more hostile world, civil society is more critical than ever. It’s also increasingly endangered, particularly in an environment where funding is scarce. In 2025, Human Rights Watch was labeled “undesirable” and banned from operating in Russia. For partners in Egypt, Hong Kong, and India, these tactics are all too familiar. Restrictions on civil society and protest have become more commonplace in Europe, including the UK and France. And now, for the first time, many worry about risks associated with their operational presence in the US, where the Open Society Foundations, a major donor, have already been threatened, and the administration is preparing a list of “domestic terrorists” under overbroad guidance that could be interpreted to include the work of many progressive groups.
Breaking the authoritarian wave and standing up for human rights is a generational challenge. In 2026, it will play out most acutely in the US, with far-reaching consequences for the rest of the world. Fighting back will require a determined, strategic, and coordinated reaction from voters, civil society, multilateral institutions, and rights-respecting governments around the globe.
4일 0030분부터 5일 0830분까지 총 32시간동안동성애자 확진자가 머물렀다던 블랙수면방 찜방도대체 뭐하는 곳인데 이렇게 오래 있었을까게이 찜질방인줄 모르고 들어갔다가 강간당했다는 남성 그것이 알고싶다 보도., Human Rights Watch’s 36th annual review of human rights practices and trends around the globe, reviews developments in more than 100 countries.