Amnesty International documented widespread violations by governments and other actors, failures of accountability and systemic injustices in 2025, alongside limited areas of progress. Many of these patterns have continued into 2026, as the international rules-based order faces sustained attack.
Following the United Nations Security Council’s decision to renew the arms embargo on South Sudan for another year, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, Tigere Chagutah said:
The 2025 edition of Amnesty International’s annual report, The State of the World’s Human Rights, assesses national, regional and global developments across a wide range of human rights themes. It identifies world trends related to violations in armed conflicts, repression of dissent, discrimination, economic and climate injustice, and the misuse of technology to infringe on human rights. It also highlights how powerful states have deliberately undermined the international rules-based system, hindering the resolution of problems that affect the lives of millions. The report documents human rights concerns during 2024 in 150 countries, connecting global and regional issues and looking to the future.
The Ghanaian authorities have failed to protect and fulfil the human rights of hundreds of victims of witchcraft accusations and ritual attacks that forced them to flee their communities fearing for their lives, said Amnesty International in a new report.