Human rights defenders around the world are confronting escalating risks, shrinking resources and growing repression, according to a new global report released by Front Line Defenders, which documented the killings of at least 358 defenders in 28 countries during 2025.
The findings were published in the Front Line Defenders Global Analysis 2025/26, a report that examines violations against human rights defenders (HRDs) at risk across multiple regions. The report draws on data gathered and verified by the HRD Memorial, coordinated by Front Line Defenders, and presents what the organisation describes as a detailed overview of the challenges facing activists and rights advocates worldwide.
According to the report, Colombia recorded the highest number of killings of human rights defenders in 2025, with 165 deaths documented. Mexico and Palestine each recorded 43 killings, followed by Brazil with 22 and Honduras with 13. Front Line Defenders said defenders working on land, environmental and peasant community rights accounted for the largest share of those killed, representing 23.46% of documented cases. Human rights defenders working on Indigenous peoples’ rights made up 17.03%, while those documenting violations in conflict situations accounted for 9.78%.
Announcing the report, Front Line Defenders Chief Executive Officer Alan Glasgow said human rights defenders faced exceptionally difficult conditions during 2025, citing funding reductions, armed conflicts and increasing restrictions in countries that had previously offered support. Glasgow said the level of protection available to defenders did not match the risks they faced and called for greater support from states that respect human rights.
The report identifies arbitrary arrest and detention as among the most frequently reported violations against human rights defenders globally. Other common abuses included threats, harassment, surveillance, legal actions and death threats. Front Line Defenders said defenders working on LGBTIQ+ rights, freedom of expression, women’s rights, human rights movements and freedom of assembly or protest movements were among the most targeted sectors during the year.
Regional trends varied significantly. The report found that arbitrary arrest or detention was the most commonly reported violation in the Middle East and North Africa, as well as in the Asia-Pacific region. Death threats were reported most frequently in the Americas, while threats and harassment were the leading violations documented in sub-Saharan Africa. In Europe and Central Asia, legal action was identified as the most commonly reported form of pressure against defenders.
Front Line Defenders also documented a broad range of digital threats, including online surveillance, censorship, social media harassment, phone monitoring, interrogation and the confiscation or destruction of electronic devices.
Beyond direct threats, the report points to what it describes as an attack on the wider human rights protection system. It states that cuts to Official Development Aid in several countries contributed to a severe funding crisis. A survey conducted by Front Line Defenders among 60 international and regional civil society organisations found they had collectively lost US$45 million in direct protection support annually during 2025.
The organisation also reported that governments across multiple regions introduced new legislation under frameworks such as counter-terrorism, espionage, national security and so-called “foreign agent” laws. According to the report, these measures further criminalised human rights defenders or increased obstacles to their work. Combined with funding reductions, the changing environment forced some defenders to halt their activities and close their organisations.
The report includes testimonies from human rights defenders in countries including Guatemala, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malaysia, Tunisia, Ecuador and Eswatini, as well as from defenders in occupied Western Sahara and Egyptian activists facing transnational repression while living in exile in Europe.
In the report’s foreword, Crimean Tatar human rights defender and journalist Lutfiye Zudiyeva said sustained support from governments, citizens and the international community was necessary for long-term change. She stated that human rights defenders should be able to live and work without fear and with the knowledge that they are not alone.
