In 2025, ProtectDefenders.eu recorded more than 285 attacks against human rights defenders (HRDs) through its Index of Attacks and Alerts, confirming a deeply concerning global pattern of repression. At the same time, the mechanism provided direct support to over 9,500 defenders, underscoring both the scale of the threats faced and the growing need for protection and solidarity.
The data reveal that judicial harassment remains the primary tool of repression used against human rights defenders. It is the most frequently recorded form of alert and, when combined with detention, clearly emerges as the dominant pattern of abuse. Criminalisation through judicial processes continues to be systematically deployed to silence defenders, drain their resources, and restrict their ability to carry out legitimate human rights work.
Another alarming trend in 2025 is the intensification of detention practices, including a significant rise in incommunicado detention. This tactic dramatically increases the risks faced by defenders by isolating them from legal safeguards, families, and protection actors, while exposing them to heightened risks of ill-treatment and abuse.
Violence against human rights defenders remains widespread and severe. Physical violence and direct attacks continue to rank among the most serious forms of repression documented in the Index. Most concerningly, killings of defenders were again recorded, serving as a stark reminder that defending human rights continues to be a life-threatening activity in many contexts.
The data further show that civil and political rights are under the greatest pressure, particularly the freedoms of expression, assembly, and participation. Those defending these rights face disproportionate levels of repression.
In terms of profiles targeted, activists are by far the most affected, followed by grassroots and NGO members, journalists, and lawyers. Frontline community defenders and journalists remain especially exposed to attacks and reprisals, reflecting their critical role in challenging abuses and amplifying human rights violations.
