For nearly half a century, the U.S. Department of State has published annual reports on the state of human rights around the world. Considered reliable and professional documents, these reports have influenced decisions on foreign aid, political asylum, sanctions, and foreign policy.
But the 2024 reports, recently released under the returned administration of Donald Trump, have been radically transformed – not to inform, but to convey a new ideology.
According to sources within the State Department, original versions of the reports were ready as early as January, before the Biden administration left office. But they were held up and rewritten by Trump-appointed political officials, including Michael Anton, a leading figure in the MAGA movement.
What has changed?
References to corruption, electoral violations, the right to a fair trial, and freedom of assembly have been completely removed.
Discrimination against LGBTQ+ people and violence against women are no longer mentioned.
Criticism of Israel has been called "anti-Semitism", including Brazilian President Lula's declaration of "genocide in Gaza".
The report on Germany criticizes the country for laws banning Nazi propaganda online – an accusation that, according to observers, serves the interests of American social networks and the far right in Europe.
The report on El Salvador is "whitewashed" in an unprecedented way. It states that "there were no serious human rights violations," even though independent reports document torture and inhumane conditions in prisons.
A dangerous move
Former DRL (Bureau for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor) officials point out that the new reports are no longer objective and are not based on information collected by embassies, but on politically manipulated formulations. Many professionals have been dismissed and replaced with inexperienced figures, but with open ideological positions.
According to critics, this approach harms human rights activists in countries like Cuba or China, who previously used American language and standards as international support.
“This is the new message: The US is no longer your ally,” said a former DRL official. “And that is tragic.”
A foreign policy with "inverted values"
Former official Christopher Le Mon emphasizes that these changes are not only about foreign policy, but also aim to affect American domestic politics. The government now seems to see no problem with electoral manipulation, suppression of civil society, gender discrimination or control of internet algorithms.
Ironically, this new approach echoes the positions of China and Russia, which have been trying to weaken international definitions of human rights for years. “From the Chinese Communist Party’s perspective, the more the language of rights gets blurred, the greater its competitive advantage,” says expert Christopher Walker.
Instead of reflecting common international standards, the new reports show a foreign policy with distorted values, where human rights are no longer seen as a principle, but as a political tool.
