Human rights defenders need support to sustain fearless work in increasingly hostile world
At least 358 defenders killed in 28 countries for their peaceful work in 2025
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Courageous human rights defenders (HRDs) around the world often chart the course in the struggle against injustice but need the international community’s support to sustain their lifesaving work amid an increasingly hostile landscape, Front Line Defenders said as it launched its flagship report today.
The Front Line Defenders Global Analysis 2025/26 gives a detailed panorama of the violations against HRDs at risk in countries around the world last year.
The report also reveals statistics gathered and verified by the HRD Memorial – which Front Line Defenders coordinates – documenting the killings of at least 358 HRDs in 28 countries in 2025. The countries with the highest number of killings documented were Colombia (165), Mexico (43), Palestine (43), Brazil (22) and Honduras (13). Defenders working on land, environmental and peasant communities rights (23.46%); HRDs working on Indigenous peoples’ rights (17.03%); and those documenting violations in conflict (9.78%) were the most commonly targeted. (See pp. 6-13 for complete data.)
“From drastic funding cuts and raging conflicts, to creeping repression even in countries that once supported them, 2025 saw some incredibly challenging times for human rights defenders around the world,” said Alan Glasgow, CEO of Front Line Defenders.
“Human rights defenders’ ongoing work and courage in the face of these risks far exceeds the level of protection and support available to them. This must be a wake-up call for rights-respecting States to do more to protect them and support their fearless work.
“Defenders show tremendous resilience to uphold human rights – we owe them a debt of gratitude and support to keep their fight alive.”
Wide-ranging risks to HRDs
According to Front Line Defenders’ data, arbitrary arrest/detention continued to be one of the most commonly reported violations against HRDs around the world, in addition to threats/other harassment, surveillance, legal action and death threats (see pp. 14-21 for a more detailed breakdown, including by region and by gender).
Globally, the five most targeted areas of human rights defence were: LGBTIQ+ rights (9.5%); freedom of expression (9.4%); women’s rights (6.9%); human rights movements (6.1%) and freedom of assembly / protest movements (5.4 %). While they account for smaller proportions individually, land, environmental and Indigenous Peoples’ rights account for 8.7% of the total when considered collectively.
Regionally, the most commonly reported violations against HRDs were: arbitrary arrest or detention in the Middle East and North Africa (32.5%) and Asia-Pacific (16.1%); death threats in the Americas (24.2%); threats or other harassment in sub-Saharan Africa (15.3%); and legal action in Europe and Central Asia (14.9%).
Front Line Defenders also documented a wide range of digital threats against HRDs, including online surveillance/censorship, social media online threats of violence or harassment, phone surveillance, interrogation and having their devices confiscated or destroyed.
An ecosystem under attack
The past year saw an accelerated wave of attacks on the international rules-based order and the weakening of the systems, institutions, and resources that have long underpinned human rights protection. Deep cuts to Official Development Aid in several countries sparked a severe funding crisis in the sector – Front Line Defenders surveyed 60 international and regional civil society organisations who reported they had lost a combined US$45 million in direct protection support annually in 2025.
States in all regions enacted repressive new legislation – including under the guise of counter-terrorism, espionage or national security, “foreign agent” laws or other repressive measures – that further criminalised HRDs or made their work more challenging (a list of restrictive legislation is available on pp. 69-75).
The combination of the more repressive environment and reduction in funds was felt in practice: human rights defenders had to stop their work and shutter their organisations.
Voices of determination
The report includes numerous voices of HRDs speaking directly about the challenges they face.
Among them are contributions from HRDs in Guatemala, DRC, Malaysia, Tunisia, Ecuador, Eswatini/Swaziland, Occupied Western Sahara, and Egyptian HRDs facing transnational repression while in exile in Europe.
Lutfiye Zudiyeva, a prominent Crimean Tatar woman human rights defender and journalist who has been criminalised for her work, penned a foreword to the report in which she said:
“For this movement to be sustainable and to effect long-term systemic change, we need consistent support from the international community, from governments, and from citizens. HRDs should be supported, and be able to live and work without fear, knowing that they are not alone.”
Note to editors:
The statistics in the Global Analysis are derived from Front Line Defenders’ casework, approved grant applications (2,739 violations) and digital protection work (1,221 violations) between 1 January and 31 December 2025. In total, the statistics reflect 3,960 reported violations across 119 countries. Front Line Defenders documents multiple violations per case or grant, as this is the reality of the situation for human rights defenders. The documentation and verifications of killings of HRDs is conducted separately under the HRD Memorial project. For more details, please refer to the Methodology section at the end of the report.
