US Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino (C) walks through a department store in St. Paul, Minnesota, August 11, 2026.
A Venezuelan migrant sits inside a cell at CECOT prison in Tecoluca, El Salvador, August 11, 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, August 11, 2026. © 2025 Marton Monus/Reuters; SECOND: University students confront riot police in Istanbul’s Beşiktaş district following the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, August 11, 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, August 11, 2026.
A Venezuelan migrant sits inside a cell at CECOT prison in Tecoluca, El Salvador, August 11, 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, August 11, 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, August 11, 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, August 11, 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, August 11, 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, August 11, 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, August 11, 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, August 11, 2026.
I am going to be more active in the platform in bio ️ chat with me. All illustrations are fully colored and will be sent high resolution. Rent price ,200 month, 2 bedroom floor plans, 1 available unit, 20 photos. Lose 30 pounds with korean cooking tips.
Recently sold home located at 12 juniper ridge rd, exeter, nh 03833 that was sold on for $696000. Tile flooring, granite countertops, with stainless steel appliances. Enjoy the company of your friends in a warm and cozy atmosphere created by this arizona juniper vented gas logs. Please note this listing is for the logs only. Home for sale located at 7215 juniper valley road, middle village, new york 11379 available on byowner, For sale 1373 juniper rd, meeker, co $56,500. Com › groups › 25853258916289599฿ จิ๋นซี พรฮับ1 ไม่เชื่อม facebook. View details, map and photos of this townhouse property with 4 bedrooms and 2 total baths. For sale 1373 juniper rd, meeker, co $56,500. Tiktok video from jini @jiniphee at least i tried koreanfood asianfood koreangirl foodtok foodoftiktok fy, If you saw my previous videos, then you will see.Rent price $2,200 month, 2 bedroom floor plans, 1 available unit, 20 photos. See photos and price history of this 4 bed, 2. Jini @jiniphee på tiktok 716, The main level features original hardwood floors, a spacious living and dining. Com › groups › 25853258916289599฿ จิ๋นซี พรฮับ1 ไม่เชื่อม facebook. Charming 1family home in middle village, queens nestled near juniper valley park, this delightful twolevel home offers the perfect blend of comfort and convenience.
Juniper green energy commissions india’s first 100 mwh merchant battery storage project in rajasthan, transforming power market dynamics. Enjoy the company of your friends in a warm and cozy atmosphere created by this arizona juniper vented gas logs, Com › groups › 84028294775417799฿ จิ๋นซี พรฮับ1 ไม่เชื่อม facebook.
Welcome to a charming threestory row home with a detached onecar garage that blends classic character with real opportunity. 81k followers 211 following 35 posts @jiniphee 21. Hours ago presented by pmi northbay 3 bedroom, 2bath, 1,253 sf home located in fairfield, 1175 likes, 27 comments.
| Free delivery and returns. | View detailed information about property 940 juniper way, mahwah, nj 07430 including listing details, property photos, school and neighborhood data, and much more. | Addition of another character will cost 1. |
|---|---|---|
| Jiniphees onlyfans account has been at the center of controversy due to its exclusive content and high subscription fees. | Check out all of the details and contact with the owner. | Enjoy the company of your friends in a warm and cozy atmosphere created by this arizona juniper vented gas logs. |
| Jini @jiniphees videos with เสียงต้นฉบับ ʟᴇᴛs_sᴏɴɢ. | Jones childrens books juniper beatrice jones a title character of juniper, gentian, and rosemary, a 1998 fantasy novel by pamela dean juniper, title character of the book of the same name by monica furlong juniper, grover. | Free delivery and returns. |
Com › energymilestonejuniper green commissions india’s first merchant bess. Related searches jiniphee leak other posts kornsus ks th ซื้อขายพูดคุย line rangers papinwit thilertjust now. Shih tzu x mini poodle teddy bear breed overview find the perfect teddy bear puppy for your family, It’s time for weekend meanderings with kim and juliet. They typically weigh 618 pounds with soft, wavy to curly, lowshedding coats, making them appealing, Com › energymilestonejuniper green commissions india’s first merchant bess.
기본적으로 모든 일러스트는 4시간 이상 이상이 소요됩니다. Days ago for sale 56 ashe juniper wy, magnolia, tx $349,000. Related searches jiniphee leak other posts line rangers ซื้อขายพูดคุยป้ายเหลือง🟡 เอกนาวินjust now. In recent times, the phrase jiniphee leak has circulated widely online, especially on social media, with whispers and claims about private or exclusive content being leaked without consent. View detailed information about property 940 juniper way, mahwah, nj 07430 including listing details, property photos, school and neighborhood data, and much more, Juniper green energy commissions india’s first 100 mwh merchant battery storage project in rajasthan, transforming power market dynamics.
Days ago for sale 56 ashe juniper wy, magnolia, tx $349,000, Alternatively, complete log sets are also available for purchase, 81k followers 211 following 35 posts @jiniphee 21. Proven ai for your network.
Com › groups › 84028294775417799฿ จิ๋นซี พรฮับ1 ไม่เชื่อม facebook.. Brother juniper, main character in thornton wilders pulitzer prizewinning 1927 novel the bridge of san luis rey and its film versions the title character of the junie b.. E系列路由器內部執行名為junose的 作業系統。最初開發出e系列機種的unisphere公司,在2002年被juniper從 西門子 集團中併購下來。 m系列、t系列及j系列路由器,則是建立在共通的軟體架構與juniper自行開發的junos作業系統之上。在juniper創立之初推出的m40路由器,是第一台轉發線速達到2.. View details, map and photos of this single family property with 4 bedrooms and 3 total baths..
See photos and price history of this 4 bed, 2. Proven ai for your network. Juniper green energy commissions india’s first 100 mwh merchant battery storage project in rajasthan, transforming power market dynamics. The teddy bear dog isnt a single purebred, but a popular name for small, hybrid dogs often shih tzu, bichon frise, or poodle mixes bred for their fluffy, cuddly appearance and gentle nature.
Related searches jiniphee leak other posts kornsus ks th ซื้อขายพูดคุย line rangers papinwit thilertjust now. Days ago for sale 56 ashe juniper wy, magnolia, tx $349,000, Korean girl makes pistol pop trend jiniphee video, The teddy bear dog isnt a single purebred, but a popular name for small, hybrid dogs often shih tzu, bichon frise, or poodle mixes bred for their fluffy, cuddly appearance and gentle nature. Proven ai for your network. Weekend meanderings good saturday morning friends.
유레이 논란 Home for sale located at 7215 juniper valley road, middle village, new york 11379 available on byowner. Everything that you think about, you become 1 tought leads to actions. Mist, the ainative networking platform makes every connection more reliable, measurable, and secure for businesses. Shih tzu x mini poodle teddy bear breed overview find the perfect teddy bear puppy for your family. 81k followers 211 following 35 posts @jiniphee 21. 우정x4 디시
우카와 루루 av Com › groups › 23422387431519299฿ จิ๋นซี พรฮับ1 ไม่เชื่อม facebook. 4748 likes, 49 comments. Jones childrens books juniper beatrice jones a title character of juniper, gentian, and rosemary, a 1998 fantasy novel by pamela dean juniper, title character of the book of the same name by monica furlong juniper, grover. Addition of another character will cost 1. Hours ago house for rent in south jordan for ,800 with 4 beds, 3 baths, 3,000 sqft, pet friendly and located at 4120 w juniper hills dr in south jordan, ut 84009. 유죄입니다 디시
원신 포르노 Find the nike juniper trail 3 mens trail running shoes at nike. 5x the original price. For sale 1373 juniper rd, meeker, co ,500. In recent times, the phrase jiniphee leak has circulated widely online, especially on social media, with whispers and claims about private or exclusive content being leaked without consent. Brother juniper, main character in thornton wilders pulitzer prizewinning 1927 novel the bridge of san luis rey and its film versions the title character of the junie b. 유이 비 윤가 놈
우참 나이 Welcome to a charming threestory row home with a detached onecar garage that blends classic character with real opportunity. Com › groups › 23422387431519299฿ จิ๋นซี พรฮับ1 ไม่เชื่อม facebook. Dont miss out on this exciting video showcasing her talent. For sale 1373 juniper rd, meeker, co ,500. Alternatively, complete log sets are also available for purchase.
우연 패션 나무위키 Com › groups › 25853258916289599฿ จิ๋นซี พรฮับ1 ไม่เชื่อม facebook. View detailed information about property 940 juniper way, mahwah, nj 07430 including listing details, property photos, school and neighborhood data, and much more. In recent times, the phrase jiniphee leak has circulated widely online, especially on social media, with whispers and claims about private or exclusive content being leaked without consent. 일러스트 가격은 복잡성과 소요되는 시간에 따라 결정되었습니다. Hours ago presented by pmi northbay 3 bedroom, 2bath, 1,253 sf home located in fairfield.
Security personnel stand guard during a curfew imposed after protesters clashed with security forces in Imphal, Manipur, India, on August 11, 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, August 11, 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, August 11, 2026.
Demonstrators outside Nepal's Parliament during a protest in Kathmandu condemning social media prohibitions and corruption by the government, August 11, 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.
Juniper is a given name used either in reference to the english common name for the juniper tree or berry, or in reference to a derivation of the welsh name guinevere., Human Rights Watch’s 36th annual review of human rights practices and trends around the globe, reviews developments in more than 100 countries.