U.S. Added to Human Rights Watchlist

The United States has been added to the CIVICUS global monitor human rights watchlist as the organization notes rapidly declining civil liberties within the country. The U.S. has been placed into the ‘narrowed’ category. It joins the newly added countries of Italy, Serbia, Pakistan and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

What is CIVICUS?

CIVICUS is a non-profit international organization. The CIVICUS monitor tracks and rates civic space conditions in countries and territories around the world. They utilize data collected from civil society organizations, regionally-based research teams and international human rights indices.

The monitor rates and categorizes civil rights conditions from open to closed. The open category denotes a space where all people are afforded civil liberties. Closed is the lowest ranking, denoting a space where civil liberties are extremely repressed or practically non-existent.

Why Was the U.S. Added?

CIVICUS points to the Trump administration’s “assault on democratic norms and global cooperation” as the driving decision for the United State’s addition to the list. Earlier this year, President Trump began to crackdown on DEI programs, started the mass firing of federal employees and dismantled foreign aid programs.

Restrictive Executive Orders, unjustifiable institutional cutbacks, and intimidation tactics…are creating an atmosphere to chill democratic dissent, a cherished American ideal. — Mandeep Tiwana, Interim Co-Secretary General, CIVICUS

In a more global context, Trump also pushed for the annexation of Panama, the purchase of Greenland and instigated trade wars, prompting concerns of violating sovereign spaces and potentially threatening cooperation between the U.S. and its allies.

The American Civic Space

The current administration has also drawn heavy criticism for its treatment of the media. In the latest, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) proposed defunding public broadcasting networks like NPR and PBS.

But the administration’s apparent crackdown on freedom of speech doesn’t end there. While President Trump has vowed to “continue to fight anti-Semitism in the United States and around the world,” the methods used to achieve this have been questioned. The President issued an executive order outlining the measures the administration will take to end antisemitism on university campuses.

He has also vowed to deport or imprison agitators at illegal protests. Some activists have interpreted these actions as an attack on free speech. The Biden administration also targeted pro-Palestinian protesters on college campuses. Currently, the cases of detained students Mahmoud Khalil and Rumeysa Öztürk are being pointed to as an example of the Trump administration’s overstepping. Whether these students were lawfully detained is still under investigation.

Looking Forward

From the outside looking in, a decline in American civil liberties appears marked. Canada and several European countries have issued travel advisories for the United States. Some decisions came after the tightening of U.S. border policies. Some governments issued advisories citing the administration’s claim to recognize only two genders, noting this could pose a problem for transgender travellers.

Still, the big picture is only starting to take shape. Though historically regarded as a beacon of strong democratic stewardship, the United State’s addition to a human rights watchlist reminds us of the ever-fragile nature of democracy. It encourages us to keep these democratic ideals in mind and to safeguard them against all enemies — foreign or domestic.

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