Washington, D.C.: The Trump administration has released a significantly altered version of the US State Department’s annual global human rights report, drawing sharp criticism from rights advocates and former officials.
Once considered the most comprehensive government-led assessment of human rights abuses worldwide, the 2025 edition has been heavily reduced in scope, with entire sections on government corruption, persecution of LGBTQ+ individuals, and gender-based crimes removed. Officials said the changes were intended to remove redundancies and increase readability, but critics argue the edits represent a deliberate softening of language toward key allies and a narrowing of focus on certain issues.
The report notably eases criticism of countries such as Israel and El Salvador while intensifying scrutiny of nations the administration has previously clashed with, including Brazil and South Africa. Brazil was accused of disproportionate action to undermine freedom of speech, while the UK was cited for credible reports of serious restrictions on freedom of expression and inconsistent prosecution of abuses.
The UK government rejected the criticism, stating it remains committed to upholding free speech while protecting citizens. In the section on Israel, the report acknowledged a rise in human rights violations amid the ongoing war but credited the government with taking credible steps to hold offenders accountable.
References to International Criminal Court arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former defence minister Yoav Gallant, and Hamas commander Mohammed Deif were omitted.
El Salvador, criticised by Amnesty International for alleged arbitrary detentions and inhumane prison conditions, was cleared in the State Department’s assessment, which found no credible reports of significant human rights abuses. Trump has openly praised Salvadoran leader Nayib Bukele, calling him ‘one hell of a president.’
The changes come after months of internal debate within the State Department, with reports of political guidance to shorten entries and remove references to corruption and gender-based violence. Former senior State Department official Uzra Zeya accused the administration of gutting decades of respected human rights work and abandoning core values, warning that the US is signalling it will look the other way, if foreign governments align with its interests.
The publication follows Trump’s earlier remarks in Saudi Arabia, where he declared that the US would no longer lecture other nations on how to govern, marking a sharp shift in America’s traditional human rights diplomacy.
TOP PICKS | Perplexity makes $34.5bn surprise bid for Google Chrome
