U.S. Added to a Global Human Rights Watchlist | TIMEExploreCloseSubscribeUpdated: Loading...U.S. Added to Global Human Rights Watchlist Over Declining Civil LibertiesWorldUnited States of Americaby Solcyré BurgaReporterU.S. President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol on March 04, 2025 in Washington, DC.U.S. President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol on March 04, 2025 in Washington, DC.Win McNamee—Getty Imagesby Solcyré BurgaReporterThe United States was added Sunday to the CIVICUS Monitor Watchlist, a research tool that publicizes the status of freedoms and threats to civil liberties worldwide. The move comes amid President Donald Trump’s “assault on democratic norms and global cooperation,” said CIVICUS—a global alliance and network of civil society groups, including Amnesty International, that advocates for greater citizen action in areas where civil liberties are limited—in a press release. The organization also cited the Administration’s cut of and its crackdown on —which Trump called “”—through executive action. AdvertisementAdvertisement“The Trump Administration seems hellbent on dismantling the system of checks and balances which are the pillars of a democratic society,” said Mandeep Tiwana, Interim Co-Secretary General of CIVICUS, in a press release. “Restrictive Executive Orders, unjustifiable institutional cutbacks, and intimidation tactics through threatening pronouncements by senior officials in the Administration are creating an atmosphere to chill democratic dissent, a cherished American ideal.”More From TIMEOther countries on the watchlist include the Democratic Republic of Congo, Italy, Pakistan, and Serbia. CIVICUS —open, narrowed, obstructed, repressed, and closed. “Open” is the highest ranking, meaning all people are able to practice liberties such as free speech, and the lowest is “closed.” Per CIVICUS, instances that result in a “decline in open civic space” include “repressive legislation that curtails free speech and dialogue, obstacles to civil society activities and operations and crackdowns on civil disobedience and peaceful demonstrations.”AdvertisementThe U.S. has been classified as “narrowed.” The “narrowed” label is CIVICUS’ assessment that while most people are able to exercise their rights of expression, free speech, and assembly, there are some attempts to violate these rights by the government. For example, CIVICUS cited during the Biden Administration, after advocates took to the streets and staged to voice their discontent with the military assistance and funding the U.S. was sending to Israel. Students participated in demonstrations to demand their schools that profit from or have a relationship with Israel. “We urge the United States to uphold the rule of law and respect constitutional and international human rights norms,” said Tiwana. “Americans across the political spectrum are appalled by the undemocratic actions of the current Administration.”AdvertisementThe White House has rejected CIVICUS’ assessment. “This is nonsense: President Trump is leading the most transparent administration in history,” said Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly in an email statement on Tuesday. The "narrowed" category also reflects CIVICUS’ assessment that while there is an existing free press, there may be restrictions due to regulation or political pressure on media owners.This comes at a time when the editorial decisions made by major media organizations and governing bodies have prompted much discussion. In February, the Federal Communications Commission launched an investigation into NPR and PBS due to concerns that they were “violating federal law by airing commercials,” which both . The FCC chair also against public funding for the two news sites. Jeff Bezos, Amazon CEO and owner of the Washington Post, directed the organization to change the scope of its opinion pages in February, informing the team that they will be writing “in support and defense of two pillars: personal liberties and free markets.”Advertisement“We’ll cover other topics too of course, but viewpoints opposing those pillars will be left to be published by others,” Bezos said to the Post team. That same month, the White House announced its press team will pick the reporters who participate in the press pool—a move the is about “restoring power back to the American people, who President Trump was elected to serve.” However, many journalism advocates criticized the act. “This move tears at the independence of a free press in the United States. It suggests the government will choose the journalists who cover the president. In a free country, leaders must not be able to choose their own press corps,” the White House Correspondents’ Association said in a . The White House is also currently ensnared in a lawsuit brought forward by the Associated Press. The news organization has —including Leavitt—after it was barred from access to the White House press briefings because it refused to change its editorial style and refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America,” after Trump renamed it in an he signed in January.Must-Reads from TIMEWhat the Trump Administration’s Plan to Cancel All Harvard’s Federal Funding Means for the UniversityCivil and Human Rights Organizations Sue Trump Administration Over DEI, Gender OrdersNew U.S. Visa Restrictions Target Foreign Officials Over Social Media ‘Censorship’Harvard vs. Trump: A Timeline of Escalating Federal Pressure on America’s Top UniversityWhat Gavin Newsom’s Career Reveals About His Presidential AmbitionsHow Harvard University’s Funding WorksWhat the Trump Administration’s Plan to Cancel All Harvard’s Federal Funding Means for the UniversityCivil and Human Rights Organizations Sue Trump Administration Over DEI, Gender OrdersNew U.S. Visa Restrictions Target Foreign Officials Over Social Media ‘Censorship’Read More SectionsHomePoliticsHealthAIWorldBusinessScienceClimateIdeasEntertainmentSportsTechnologyNewslettersMoreFuture of Work by CharterAll BusinessAI DictionaryTIME 2030The TIME VaultTIME For KidsTIME FuturesTIME EdgeTIME StudiosVideoAbout UsOur missionContact the EditorsPress RoomMedia KitReprints & PermissionsSupplied Partner ContentMastheadCareersSite MapModern Slavery StatementYour SubscriptionsSubscribeAccess My Digital MagazineManage My SubscriptionGlobal Help CenterSupplied Partner ContentBuy an issueShop the Cover StoreGive a Gift© 2025 TIME USA, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service, Privacy Policy (Your Privacy Rights) and Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information.TIME may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice., The principle of universality of human rights is the cornerstone of international human rights law. This means that we are all equally entitled to our human rights. This principle, as first emphasized in the UDHR, is repeated in many international human rights conventions, declarations, and resolutions. Human rights are inalienable., The United States was added Sunday to the CIVICUS Monitor Watchlist, a research tool that publicizes the status of freedoms and threats to civil liberties worldwide. The move comes amid President .