JAKARTA - The head of Human Rights Watch said on Thursday that the return of US President-elect Donald Trump to the White House next week threatens freedom at home and abroad, warning that his second term could be more destructive than the first.
Tirana Hassan's statement, executive director of the New York-based independent rights group emerged while launching a World Report reviewing rights practices in more than 100 states.
"The Trump administration's first term of office shows us what they are capable of and in particular shows their lack of commitment to human rights," Hassan told Reuters ahead of the launch of the annual report.
"But the 2025 Project and the statements we have heard from the (new) President have begun to show that there will be an all-out attack on the rights of migrants," he said, referring to a series of conservative policy proposals and plans to launch mass deportation operations for immigrants.
Hassan said the tone set by the Trump administration could make autocrats around the world dare to issue repressive policies.
Trump's team did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Hassan also criticized President Joe Biden's policy of stepping down for providing weapons to Israel in the Gaza war although he called it clear evidence that the weapon was used to commit atrocities. A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas was announced on Wednesday.
"2024 is not a proud moment for a government that will step down," he told Reuters, saying his failure to protect civilians in Gaza and the provision of weapons was a "debt" to Biden's legacy.
A 546-page HRW report on Thursday said the conflict and humanitarian crisis had exposed weakening international protection over the past year in places such as Sudan, Ukraine, and Haiti.
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In 2024, several leaders such as Russian President Vladimir Putin and leaders across the African Sahel have tightened their grip on power, he said, but elsewhere there is resistance to such trends like those in South Korea.
"It just shows it is possible to rise when there is an all-out attack on human rights," Hassan said.
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