Amnesty International has warned that the international system of human rights is under severe threat, with US President Donald Trump’s second term intensifying global assaults on fundamental freedoms. In its annual report released Tuesday, the rights group described a widespread attack on human rights norms and institutions, many rooted in post-World War II ideals.
“Unprecedented forces are targeting the very idea of universal human rights, seeking to dismantle a system built on the tragedies of the past,” said Amnesty Secretary General Agnes Callamard.
The organization said that 2024 was marked by widespread devastation, particularly in conflict zones like the Middle East, Sudan, Ukraine, and Afghanistan—where women’s rights continue to face harsh restrictions. The report criticizes major global powers—including the US, Russia, and China—for undermining international law and efforts to reduce poverty and inequality.
Amnesty called Trump a “super-accelerator” of long-standing harmful trends, noting his administration’s decision to freeze international aid and cut funding to various UN agencies. Callamard highlighted a “multiplicity of assaults” on human rights accountability, international law, and the United Nations, urging global resistance.
The report also pointed to obstruction of justice by powerful states. It condemned nations that challenged the International Court of Justice’s ruling against Israel in a case brought by South Africa alleging genocide in Gaza. Additionally, Hungary was criticized for failing to enforce International Criminal Court arrest warrants against Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Amnesty claimed Israel’s actions in Gaza amounted to a “live-streamed genocide,” accusing the state of deliberately displacing civilians and creating a humanitarian crisis. Israel denies the allegations. The Gaza war, sparked by a Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, resulted in over 1,200 Israeli deaths and the abduction of 251 individuals. Israel’s military response has since killed more than 52,000 people, most of them civilians, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
Beyond the Middle East, the report drew attention to Sudan’s catastrophic humanitarian crisis. Around 12 million people have been forcibly displaced amid a brutal conflict between the Sudanese army and RSF paramilitaries—what Amnesty calls the world’s largest displacement crisis, met with global indifference.
In Afghanistan, the group said women’s rights remain under siege due to Taliban-imposed restrictions. Amnesty also reported a global rise in gender-based violence and discrimination in 2024.
The report concluded with a warning about the misuse of emerging technologies. Amnesty emphasized the urgent need for AI regulation to protect rights and condemned the increasing use of spyware and surveillance tools to target political dissenters.
