U.S. State Department reduces yearly publications on human rights issues
The U.S. State Department's annual international human rights reports, released this Tuesday, have undergone significant changes, resulting in shorter reports and a reduction in criticism of human rights abuses in certain countries.
The restructuring of the reports, aimed at improving "utility and accessibility," has led to major cutbacks on language criticizing human rights abuses in countries such as Israel, El Salvador, Hungary, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. Key sections on abuses against women, LGBTQ+ individuals, disabled persons, indigenous groups, and issues like government corruption, fair trials, and internet freedom have been removed or greatly reduced, shrinking reports to as little as one-tenth the length of previous editions.
Critics argue that these changes let authoritarian regimes "off the hook" by downplaying or omitting longstanding and serious human rights violations. They contend the reduction politicizes the reports, softening criticism of allied governments while sometimes exaggerating abuses in countries adversarial to Trump’s policies, thus undermining the reports’ objectivity and congressional mandate to provide a comprehensive, impartial assessment.
The timing delay in release and removal of universally recognized human rights issues has led to concerns about the administration deprioritizing human rights advocacy and skewing the reports for geopolitical reasons.
Notably, the new reports do not document categories such as restrictions on free assembly, unfair elections, and punishment of minority groups. The number of examples of each violation in the reports has been reduced to just one "illustrative incident," regardless of how widespread the abuses were.
The reports on El Salvador and Moldova are more than 75% shorter, while the report on the United Kingdom includes extensive documentation of government restrictions on "hate speech." The new reports do not include a category for expression rights for regular citizens, marking a significant change from previous editions.
The changes in the reports raise questions about the administration's priorities at home, particularly in light of Vice President JD Vance's public concerns about infringements on expression outside abortion clinics in the U.K. and restrictions on prayer.
The reports are being reviewed by a political appointee, Samuel Samson, for 20 specific countries, including Canada, Germany, Israel, the United Kingdom, and Ukraine. Samson, a 2021 graduate of the University of Texas, worked at "The American Moment," a conservative political organization.
Despite the administration's insistence on remaining committed to defending human rights, critics argue that the minimalist rewrite may no longer comply with the law, which requires a "full and complete" accounting of internationally recognized human rights. The organization's mission, according to its CEO, is to place right-wing activists in "well-paying jobs where they will have influence."
The Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, chose not to present the reports in a public briefing, unlike in the past. President Trump telegraphed a new approach in his visit to Saudi Arabia, praising the Crown Prince who is widely thought to have ordered the torture and assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Since the 1970s, the U.S. has been compiling these reports on every country in the world. The deleted material includes issues widely regarded as fundamental rights under international law, such as the right to a fair public trial. The new human rights reports do not include a category for expression rights for regular citizens, a significant change from previous editions.
