Human Rights Watch’s annual report says liberal democracies were generally “unreliable” on human rights.
US President Joe Biden has demonstrated “double standards” on human rights, providing “unrestricted weapons” to Israel despite its war crimes in Gaza, while condemning Russia for “similar violations” in Ukraine, according to a new report from Human Rights Watch (HRW). report.
The human rights group’s 2025 global report, released Thursday, highlights how the United States suspended funding to UNRWA, the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, amid the crisis famine in Gaza due to the Israeli siege.
At the same time, the Biden administration provided Israel with an unprecedented $17.9 billion in security aid and approved more than 100 arms sales.
The report highlights the “often overlooked reality” that liberal democracies like the United States were “not always reliable defenders of human rights” at home or abroad.
It adds that many of the 70 national elections held last year were seen as motivated by “racism, hatred and discrimination”, with polls in the United States and the European Union being no exception.
The report raises concerns that US President-elect Donald Trump, who takes office on January 20, would “inflict even greater damage on human rights” during his second term, “encouraging illiberal leaders around the world to follow suit.
He also noted the rise of the far right in last year’s European Parliament elections, “exploiting anti-immigration sentiment and nationalist rhetoric to advance policies that threaten minority communities and undermine democratic norms.” .
Far from being models of human rights, “outspoken and action-oriented” liberal democracies have defended standards “weakly or inconsistently”, thereby contributing to a global perception that “the human rights lack legitimacy.
“Significant resistance”
Amid grim updates on Israel’s “war crimes and crimes against humanity” in Gaza, “massacres” in Sudan’s civil war and Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine, the report highlights positive developments in various parts of the world.
The overthrow of Bashar al-Assad in Syria, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, provided insight into the “limits of autocratic rule”, although the report also notes that the armed groups that joined the offensive were themselves guilty of abuses and war crimes.
The report highlights “significant democratic resilience” in Bangladesh, where anti-corruption student protesters overthrew the “repressive” government of Sheikh Hasina, forcing the formation of an interim government under Nobel Prize-winning economist peace Muhammad Yunus.
The report also highlights that:
- In Kenya, protesters demanded an end to poor governance, corruption and mismanagement of public funds in President William Ruto’s administration.
- During Venezuela’s elections, protesters demanded a fair count of their votes amid “brutal repression” by Nicolas Maduro’s government.
- In South Korea, President Yoon Suk-yeol’s attempt to impose martial law failed spectacularly, with thousands protesting and lawmakers ultimately moving to impeach and suspend him.
- In Georgia, protests erupted against the ruling party’s decision to abandon the EU accession process, which many interpreted as a sign of the government’s “pivot to authoritarianism.”
“These resistance movements highlight a crucial reality: the fight for rights is often led by ordinary people, fed up with injustice and corruption,” HRW said.