US added to human rights watchlist following Trump’s ‘unparalleled attack on the rule of law’

The US has been added to a global human rights watchlist over president Donald Trump’s “unparalleled attack on the rule of law”. 

Non-profit organisation CIVICUS has added the US to its first 2025 Monitor Watchlist “due to threats to civil freedoms under the Trump administration”. 

The organisation listed the US under its “narrowed” category, which is given to countries where freedoms are being increasingly violated. It’s the second-highest tier rating, with the best being “open” and the worst being “closed”. Its “narrowed” rating puts it alongside countries, including Albania, Liberia and Poland. 

It also noted declines in the status of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Pakistan as “repressed, Italy as “narrowed” and Serbia as “obstructed”. 

‘Reversed justice, inclusion and diversity’

The organisation flagged that its offered human rights rating for the US follows the Trump administration dismantling protections.

It highlights “unprecedented executive orders designed to unravel democratic institutions, rule of law, and global cooperation raise alarm”, while the administrations slashing of federal funding for organisations that support those most in need, dismantling of the United States Agency for International Development, and the “reversed justice, inclusion, and diversity”, all place the country in its “narrowed” category.

Mandeep Tiwana, interim co-secretary general of CIVICUS, said: “This is an unparalleled attack on the rule of law in the United States, not seen since the days of McCarthyism in the twentieth century.

‘Restrictive executive orders, unjustifiable institutional cutbacks, and intimidation tactics through threatening pronouncements by senior officials in the administration are creating an atmosphere to chill democratic dissent, a cherished American ideal.”

‘Undemocratic actions’

Tiwana continued: “The Trump administration seems hellbent on dismantling the system of checks and balances which are the pillars of a democratic society.” 

“We urge the United States to uphold the rule of law and respect constitutional and international human rights norms.

“Americans across the political spectrum are appalled by the undemocratic actions of the current administration,” said Tiwana. 

Transgender rights have been under increasing attack from the Trump administration since he took office in January.

During his inaugural address, Trump said there were only two genders, “male and female”, adding that he will end “the government policy of trying to socially engineer race and gender into every aspect of public and private life”.

Among the other executive orders were moves to scrap diversity, equity and inclusion policies, ending birth-right citizenship (which guarantees citizenship to anyone born on US soil), withdrawing the country from the World Health Organization, and pardons for those convicted of crimes surrounding events on 6 January 2021.

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