Latest Human Rights Watch report reveals civil societies 'under siege everywhere': Video
The latest Human Rights Watch (HRW) report paints a grim picture of the state of civil societies worldwide, revealing that they are "under siege everywhere."
The 2025 World Report, which reviews human rights practices in over 100 countries, highlights the increasing threats faced by civil society organisations, activists, and humanitarian workers.
HRW's Asian Director, Elaine Pearson, during a press conference in Thailand, emphasised that governments around the world are intensifying their crackdowns on political opponents, activists, and journalists.
The report documents numerous instances of arbitrary arrests, wrongful imprisonments, and unlawful killings by both state and non-state actors.
"I think the sort of democratic backsliding, the weakening of democratic institutions, the fact that in countries from Pakistan to Cambodia, we've seen political opponents hounded into exile, imprisoned. Here in Thailand, obviously, you had the Move Forward Party dissolved by the Constitutional Court. Civil society is really under siege everywhere," Elaine said.
One of the most alarming examples highlighted in the report is Yemen, where warring parties, particularly the Houthis, have further repressed civil society and obstructed humanitarian aid.
The Houthis have arbitrarily detained and disappeared dozens of United Nations and civil society staff, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in the region.
