Rise of authoritarianism

In this country and around the world, hard-won freedoms are being stolen.

Respect for diversity is under attack, and those with the courage to stand up for what they believe in are being persecuted and criminalised.

This is not the world we’ve fought for. We all need to come together to resist this global phenomenon.

Only 2 in 10 of us live in fully free countries, according to Freedom House
Coups were more common in 2021 than in any of the previous 10 years
Global press freedom classified as “difficult” for first time by Reporters Without Borders in 2025

Key issues

Hundreds of protesters in Amnesty UK t-shirts at a demonstration holding placards that say "Expect Resistance"

Right to protest

Throughout history, people-powered protest has changed the world. But this vital right itself is under attack. Learn about the work we do to protect our protest rights.

Repression in Hong Kong

People in Hong Kong are facing an increased crackdown on their rights to freedom of expression. The UK government must act now to protect Hong Kongers in the UK.

Protesters holding loudhailers with tape covering their mouths and loudhailers

Freedom of expression

Freedom of expression in the UK protects the right to seek, receive and share ideas without interference, though restrictions exist to prevent harm and safeguard others.

"On a dark grey background, there are cut out images of 5 CCTV cameras to evoke the surveillance this community are under""

Mass surveillance

The UK Government is likely to be storing your private emails, calls, internet searches, locations, and more. We have a right to privacy and free speech, which mass surveillance violates.

A sea of Amnesty protestors waving an Amnesty and a Progress Pride flag in a street.

Gender justice seeks to address the systems that perpetuate discrimination and oppression based on gender. It seeks to create a society where everyone, regardless of gender identity, can live free from violence, exclusion, and inequity.

What's happening?

Around the world, the space for ordinary people to speak out and organise is rapidly shrinking.

Fuelled by hunger for power, authoritarian governments are silencing dissent and activism.

In the US, President Donald Trump is eroding rights and reversing progress.

But this is not about one man, or one country. By 2022 nearly three quarters of us lived in repressive regimes.

In the UK, new laws are criminalising protest tactics and giving police power to shut down demonstrations.

Spending by the anti-rights movement is soaring, supported by wealth groups in the US.

Across Europe, traditionally mainstream parties have adopted authoritarian anti-rights agendas on immigration, entered coalitions with extremely nationalistic parties, and adopted racist rhetoric. Extreme positions are becoming the norm.

Why it matters

Demonising activists and the lawyers they work with. Criminalising peaceful protest. Removing any checks on power. Inciting violence on the streets. Supporting racist, extreme nationalist groups. Threatening whole populations with deportation, and denying people their rights and due process.

These actions threaten all our rights. And we won’t stand for it.

Authoritarianism is an existential threat to all of us. History tells us where this path leads - to violence and conflict.

What you can do

We must act now to push back the tide, to weaken and disrupt the networks and funding that sustain these groups, defend our right to protest, and to build a future we can all believe in.

For over sixty years, Amnesty has campaigned for human rights, for truth and equality, for individuals and humanity. We won’t stop until everyone can live their lives freely, fairly and without fear.

The freedom to defend our rights and fight for what we believe in is why we exist.

Backed by our supporters, we won’t see these rights repressed without challenge.

We will defend the ground we’ve won.

We won’t let the repressors get away with it.