HRW Warns Democratic Decline Has Reached Crisis Point, Urges New Alliance With Brazil at the Center

Overview

• HRW’s new assessment says global democracy has regressed to roughly 1985 levels, with about 72% of the world’s population living under authoritarian rule.
• The organization links the acceleration to Trump’s second-term agenda, citing attacks on judicial independence, efforts to erode trust in elections, and withdrawals and funding cuts from multilateral bodies.
• HRW alleges the U.S. used an 1798 law to deport Venezuelans to a prison in El Salvador where torture was reported and says maritime operations led to more than 120 extrajudicial deaths.
• To counter the decline, HRW proposes a coordinated alliance of democracies—explicitly naming Brazil as a central participant—to condition trade and security ties on rights and to act together at the UN.
• In its Brazil chapter, HRW reports 6,519 people were killed by police in 2025 and recommends intelligence-led probes into crime–state links, independent forensics, police reform, and stronger federal–state coordination as public security looms over the 2026 election.