Paris, 24 July 2026. “Never in recent years have human rights been attacked with such brutality.” These are the words with which FIDH President Alexis Deswaef opens the editorial that sets the tone for the 2025 activity report.
FIDH brings together nearly 200 human rights organisations from around the world. Despite a global context increasingly hostile to human rights and in the face of rising authoritarianism on every continent, FIDH is stepping up its proactive work through the documentation of violations, advocacy initiatives and strategic litigation, as well as by mobilising its network to support the work of human rights defenders.
Among the notable achievements of 2025, mention may be made of the contribution to:
the release of 99 human rights defenders, thanks to the joint action of FIDH and its member organisations;
the recognition by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights of the severity of the crisis in Nicaragua;
the conviction by French courts, under universal jurisdiction, of a leader of a Syrian armed group;
the inclusion, for the first time, of human rights in the final texts of COP 30 in Belem.
By filing a complaint against Franco-Israeli soldiers and raising the alarm over the crackdown on the Palestine solidarity movement in France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States, FIDH also remained engaged on the situation in Gaza and is committed to a long fight for justice.
In the face of multiple attacks, refusing to give up is what drives the Federation forward. Guided by the same vision for over a century — the absolute universality of human rights — and the conviction that to act is the best way to hope, FIDH will continue to turn warnings into action wherever it can.
Read the full report here.
Hans Thoolen on Human Rights Defenders and their awards 
Leave a comment