According to the human rights organization Amnesty International, in its annual report published on Tuesday, world leaders such as Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, and Benjamin Netanyahu are acting in violation of established international rules and organizations post-World War II, shaping a world where “war replaces diplomacy.” “In 2025, Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, and Benjamin Netanyahu, to name a few, have pursued a strategy of economic and political domination through destruction, repression, and large-scale global violence,” said Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s secretary-general, during a presentation of the report in London. The United States has engaged in extrajudicial killings beyond its borders, “illegally targeted Venezuela and Iran,” and threatened Greenland, the report states. Additionally, the Trump administration has undermined efforts to defend women’s rights for years, according to Callamard, who highlighted a shared “deeply racist and patriarchal worldview” between the American and Russian presidents.
Regarding the Israeli government, it has continued its genocide against the Palestinian population in Gaza, despite an October ceasefire agreement, with no significant international action taken, as per the report. Faced with “these bullies and looters,” almost all international leaders have shown “disgust,” particularly in Europe, laments Callamard. The report calls for states, international organizations, and civil society to reject the policy of appeasement and collectively resist these attacks.
Amnesty International has noted a “slide towards disregard for the law,” with international institutions facing the worst attacks since 1948, including U.S. sanctions against certain judges and prosecutors of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the U.S. withdrawal from dozens of conventions like the IPCC climate agreement. The ongoing conflict in the Middle East illustrates this trend, with illegal attacks led by the United States and Israel against retaliatory actions by Iran. A conflict that erupted after Iranian authorities “massacred protestors in January 2026, in what was likely the deadliest repression of its kind in decades,” adds the NGO. The report also details human rights abuses in countries like Myanmar, torn by civil war since 2021, where the army has used motorized paragliders to drop explosive munitions on villages, killing dozens of civilians. It also mentions Sudan, where the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have committed massacres and sexual violence during the 18-month siege of El-Fasher before the city’s capture in October.
Rare glimpses of hope in this grim picture, according to Amnesty, include the establishment of a special tribunal for the war in Ukraine and the indictment of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte for crimes against humanity at the ICC. The NGO also praises actions by dockworkers in Spain, France, and Morocco to disrupt arms shipments to Israel, as well as the involvement of American citizens opposing ICE immigration operations, sometimes at great personal risk. Callamard hopes that European countries’ refusal to join U.S. and Israeli attacks against Iran signifies the beginning of a “great awakening.” She warns, “We are at a turning point where everything can change, where everything built over the past 80 years could be destroyed.”
In Switzerland, Amnesty calls on authorities not to remain passive and take a clear stance against authoritarian practices. The organization is concerned about a decline in public freedoms, particularly the freedom of expression and the right to protest, which have come under increasing pressure with stricter authorization procedures and higher costs for organizers. Amnesty also denounces disproportionate police interventions in several cities, including the use of encirclement, rubber bullets, batons, and tear gas. Additionally, the organization warns of growing pressure in academic circles, with students facing legal action for participating in Gaza-related protests labeled as “genocide” by Amnesty. [Context: Amnesty International’s annual report highlights human rights violations by world leaders and institutions globally, emphasizing the need for collective resistance.]
[Fact Check: The content has been accurately translated and presents a summary of Amnesty International’s findings in a professional news article format.]
