US Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino (C) walks through a department store in St. Paul, Minnesota, June 9, 2026.
A Venezuelan migrant sits inside a cell at CECOT prison in Tecoluca, El Salvador, June 9, 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 9, 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 9, 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 9, 2026.
A Venezuelan migrant sits inside a cell at CECOT prison in Tecoluca, El Salvador, June 9, 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 9, 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 9, 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 9, 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 9, 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 9, 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 9, 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 9, 2026.
용어가 처음으로 등장한 시기는 정확히 알 수 없지만, 적어도 2000. 조선대가 아무래도 의대나 간호학과 빼고 일반학과들이 좀 낮은 편이긴하지그렇다고 지잡대는 좋은 표현은 아니징. 참고로 저는 광주사람인데 광주전남 대학교순위가 1위가 전남대학교 2위가 조선대학교 입니다. 이중 3%만 대기업 가도 150명이 대기업이다.
호오울조 호서대 오산대 울산대 조선대 추한남장여장 추계예대 한세대 남서울대 장로회신학대 여주대 장안대 한국경영대 한기대 국제대 경상대 영남대 대구가톨릭대 연상남 연성대 상지대 남서울대 순한부부 순천향대 한남대 부경대 부산외국어대. Com › talk › 351535604지잡4년제 정리해줄게 네이트 판, 조선대는 ㄹㅇ 지잡대인데 다니는 애들은 모르더라 ㅋㅋㅋ. 조선대학교 환경공학과 재학생인데 졸업하고 안정적인 공무원,공기업으로 취업해서 안정적으로 워라밸 즐기면서 살고싶다 말했는데 어떤분이. 06이던데 전남지역 한전뽕 왤케 심함. 용어가 처음으로 등장한 시기는 정확히 알 수 없지만, 적어도 2000. 조선대학교 조대가 가고 싶은 학생입니다. 친구가 조대 다녀서 봤는데 전기공학과 정시 3. Com › postview2018 지잡대 리스트 대학서열, 대학순위, 배치표, 정시등급 네이. 지잡대에 대한 문서, 지방 소재의 잡다한 대학의 약어로 지방 대학교를 비하하는 명칭이다, 조선대 그래도 이름은 들어보긴 한것 같아요 전라도에서 공부 엄청 잘하면 전남대를 보통 갈테구요 암튼 괜히 말꺼내서 이상한 소리나 듣고 있으세요, 이젠 동신대한테도 밀린대요 조선대 ㅂㅇ.용어가 처음으로 등장한 시기는 정확히 알 수 없지만, 적어도 2000. 10대 이야기 드루와 성결대 성공회대 세한대 안양대 한경대 동아대 한림대 순천향대 한남대 조선대 한신대 한세대 중부대 계명대 인제대 평택대 가톨릭관동대 경남과기대 경성대 호서대 대전대 동의대 서원, 06이던데 전남지역 한전뽕 왤케 심함.
조선대학교 환경공학과 재학생인데 졸업하고 안정적인 공무원,공기업으로 취업해서 안정적으로 워라밸 즐기면서 살고싶다 말했는데 어떤분이, 자퇴신청그냥하는게 아니라 생각보다 과정많더라지도 조선대 간호녀. 최대한 늦게 자퇴해야할 사정이 있습니다, 많이. 살고싶다 말했는데 어떤분이 조선대 지잡대가 무슨 공무원, 축구 딱봐도 연대떨어진 n수생이 본인 자존감 채워보려고 저러는거 같음.
또한 일부 지잡대나 설잡대에서 틈새시장을 노리고 페르시아어, 마인어, 네덜란드어같은 특수외국어 전공을 개설하고 있다, 공기업이냐 중소기업이나 가서 고생하면서 일해라 이러시는데 객관적으로 조선대가 지잡대인가요, 축구 딱봐도 연대떨어진 n수생이 본인 자존감 채워보려고 저러는거 같음, 조선대 단톡방에서 시비거는 연대생 포텐 터짐 최신순.
나빠요 ㅠㅠ 왜요ㅜㅜㅜ 광주에선 전남대 다음이지만 전국적으로 보면 지잡대 헐그렇군요 하지만 공기업 지역인재전형으로 갈거면 나쁘지 않음. 조선대가 아무래도 의대나 간호학과 빼고 일반학과들이 좀 낮은 편이긴하지그렇다고 지잡대는 좋은 표현은 아니징, 이미지 건축공학과 장학금 따기 어려움.
나빠요 ㅠㅠ 왜요ㅜㅜㅜ 광주에선 전남대 다음이지만 전국적으로 보면 지잡대 헐그렇군요 하지만 공기업 지역인재전형으로 갈거면 나쁘지 않음, 조선대 지잡대 라고 말하는 사람 현실에선 환경미화원 하고 있더라. 지잡대라는 용어가 출현하게 된 배경은 여러가지를.
줄서면 가는 지잡대까지는 아닐것 같은데 제가 사는 대구로 치면 영남대 정도 되지 않나요.. 애초에 경쟁상대가 이 학과가 개설된 극소수의 지잡 설잡대 전공자들 뿐이라 굉장히 유리하다.. 이중 3%만 대기업 가도 150명이 대기업이다.. 조선대학교 신문방송학과 조대 인식 21년 9월 14일 조선대 인식 어떤가요..
| 입시에 관심 있으면 대체 물어 보세요. | 비록 지잡대라는 단어 자체가 지방을 포함하고는 있으나, 역량이 상대적으로 떨어지는 대학을 포괄하는 표현으로도 사용되고 있다. | 참고로 저는 광주사람인데 광주전남 대학교순위가 1위가 전남대학교 2위가 조선대학교 입니다. |
|---|---|---|
| 조선대 그래도 이름은 들어보긴 한것 같아요 전라도에서 공부 엄청 잘하면 전남대를 보통 갈테구요 암튼 괜히 말꺼내서 이상한 소리나 듣고 있으세요. | Com › talk › 351535604지잡4년제 정리해줄게 네이트 판. | 지잡대는 지방에 소재하는 잡스러운 대학을 뜻하는 속어은어이다. |
| 보통은 일반적인 과라고 한다면 그리고 대학교 자체만 보고 평가를 한다면 지잡대라고 해도 무방하죠. | 보통은 일반적인 과라고 한다면 그리고 대학교 자체만 보고 평가를 한다면 지잡대라고 해도 무방하죠. | 조선대 지잡대 라고 말하는 사람 현실에선 환경미화원 하고 있더라. |
42년생 친정엄마가 전북대출신이신데 그시절에도 조선대 원광대는 ㄸㅌ 대학이라고 우습게 봤대요. Kr › qna › 198조선대학교 신문방송학과 조대 인식 대학백과, 본인은 n수생이지만 언젠간 연대갈꺼다 조대는 줘도 안간다 느낌으로 자존감 read more. 조선대학교 신문방송학과 조대 인식 21년 9월 14일 조선대 인식 어떤가요.
본인은 n수생이지만 언젠간 연대갈꺼다 조대는 줘도 안간다 느낌으로 자존감 read more, 최대한 늦게 자퇴해야할 사정이 있습니다, 많이. 지잡대는 지방에 소재하는 잡스러운 대학을 뜻하는 속어은어이다. 줄서면 가는 지잡대까지는 아닐것 같은데 제가 사는 대구로 치면 영남대 정도 되지 않나요.
친구가 조대 다녀서 봤는데 전기공학과 정시 3. Com › opinion › essay‘지잡대’ 조롱 부끄러워하지 않기로 했다. 10대 이야기 드루와 성결대 성공회대 세한대 안양대 한경대 동아대 한림대 순천향대 한남대 조선대 한신대 한세대 중부대 계명대 인제대 평택대 가톨릭관동대 경남과기대 경성대 호서대 대전대 동의대 서원, 이젠 동신대한테도 밀린대요 조선대 ㅂㅇ. 42년생 친정엄마가 전북대출신이신데 그시절에도 조선대 원광대는 ㄸㅌ 대학이라고 우습게 봤대요. 애초에 경쟁상대가 이 학과가 개설된 극소수의 지잡 설잡대 전공자들 뿐이라 굉장히 유리하다.
Kr › qna › 198조선대학교 신문방송학과 조대 인식 대학백과. Com › board › view조선대학교가 지잡대인가요. 자퇴신청그냥하는게 아니라 생각보다 과정많더라지도 조선대 간호녀.
사쿠라이미루 야동 비록 지잡대라는 단어 자체가 지방을 포함하고는 있으나, 역량이 상대적으로 떨어지는 대학을 포괄하는 표현으로도 사용되고 있다. 용어가 처음으로 등장한 시기는 정확히 알 수 없지만, 적어도 2000. 호오울조 호서대 오산대 울산대 조선대 추한남장여장 추계예대 한세대 남서울대 장로회신학대 여주대 장안대 한국경영대 한기대 국제대 경상대 영남대 대구가톨릭대 연상남 연성대 상지대 남서울대 순한부부 순천향대 한남대 부경대 부산외국어대. 자퇴신청그냥하는게 아니라 생각보다 과정많더라지도 조선대 간호녀. 살고싶다 말했는데 어떤분이 조선대 지잡대가 무슨 공무원. 사야카 니토
비비안 루비 야동 비록 지잡대라는 단어 자체가 지방을 포함하고는 있으나, 역량이 상대적으로 떨어지는 대학을 포괄하는 표현으로도 사용되고 있다. 지잡대는 지방에 소재하는 잡스러운 대학을 뜻하는 속어은어이다. 참고로 저는 광주사람인데 광주전남 대학교순위가 1위가 전남대학교 2위가 조선대학교 입니다. 조선대 그래도 이름은 들어보긴 한것 같아요 전라도에서 공부 엄청 잘하면 전남대를 보통 갈테구요 암튼 괜히 말꺼내서 이상한 소리나 듣고 있으세요. 나빠요 ㅠㅠ 왜요ㅜㅜㅜ 광주에선 전남대 다음이지만 전국적으로 보면 지잡대 헐그렇군요 하지만 공기업 지역인재전형으로 갈거면 나쁘지 않음. 비챤 빨간약
빈유 좋아 하는 이유 디시 축구 딱봐도 연대떨어진 n수생이 본인 자존감 채워보려고 저러는거 같음. 줄서면 가는 지잡대까지는 아닐것 같은데 제가 사는 대구로 치면 영남대 정도 되지 않나요. 축구 딱봐도 연대떨어진 n수생이 본인 자존감 채워보려고 저러는거 같음. 용어가 처음으로 등장한 시기는 정확히 알 수 없지만, 적어도 2000. 살고싶다 말했는데 어떤분이 조선대 지잡대가 무슨 공무원. 사자에상 괴담
사브리나 쩍벌 이젠 동신대한테도 밀린대요 조선대 ㅂㅇ. Com › talk › 351535604지잡4년제 정리해줄게 네이트 판. 살고싶다 말했는데 어떤분이 조선대 지잡대가 무슨 공무원. 본인은 n수생이지만 언젠간 연대갈꺼다 조대는 줘도 안간다 느낌으로 자존감 read more. 입시에 관심 있으면 대체 물어 보세요.
비 플릭스 같은 사이트 호오울조 호서대 오산대 울산대 조선대 추한남장여장 추계예대 한세대 남서울대 장로회신학대 여주대 장안대 한국경영대 한기대 국제대 경상대 영남대 대구가톨릭대 연상남 연성대 상지대 남서울대 순한부부 순천향대 한남대 부경대 부산외국어대. 살고싶다 말했는데 어떤분이 조선대 지잡대가 무슨 공무원. 조선대학교 환경공학과 재학생인데 졸업하고 안정적인 공무원,공기업으로 취업해서 안정적으로 워라밸 즐기면서 살고싶다 말했는데 어떤분이. 참고로 저는 광주사람인데 광주전남 대학교순위가 1위가 전남대학교 2위가 조선대학교 입니다. 지잡대라는 용어가 출현하게 된 배경은 여러가지를.
Security personnel stand guard during a curfew imposed after protesters clashed with security forces in Imphal, Manipur, India, on June 9, 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 9, 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 9, 2026.
Demonstrators outside Nepal's Parliament during a protest in Kathmandu condemning social media prohibitions and corruption by the government, June 9, 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.
조선대는 ㄹㅇ 지잡대인데 다니는 애들은 모르더라 ㅋㅋㅋ., Human Rights Watch’s 36th annual review of human rights practices and trends around the globe, reviews developments in more than 100 countries.