Trump-led abuses and a global 'democratic recession' put human rights in peril

Human Rights Watch says the world is in a 'democratic recession' with about 72% of people living under autocratic rule, and it reports that actions by the Trump administration, Russia and China are straining the rules-based international order.

Human Rights Watch reports that the world is experiencing a "democratic recession" and that this shift is putting longstanding human rights protections under strain. The group published its annual country-by-country assessment on Wednesday and highlighted developments in the United States, Russia, China and the United Kingdom. HRW's executive director described 2025 as a tipping point for rights in the United States and warned the international rules-based order is under pressure. What HRW reports: - About 72% of the world's population now live under autocratic governments, a level HRW says has not been seen since the mid-1980s. - The report says the US administration in 2025 pursued measures that undermined trust in elections, weakened judicial independence and reduced government accountability. - HRW finds that Russia and China have continued efforts to weaken the global rules-based order and calls for democracies to pursue strategic cooperation to defend human rights norms. Summary: HRW warns that the combined trends of democratic erosion in many countries and actions by major powers are placing the international human rights system under strain. The organisation suggested that an alliance of rights-based democracies could help preserve norms, but it did not set out a specific international plan; the next steps are undetermined at this time.