AMNESTY International has accused major world powers, including the United States, Russia and Israel, of attempting to reshape the global order through coercion, violence and systematic breaches of international law, while warning that many governments are failing to mount meaningful resistance to escalating abuses.
The global human rights organisation said a large number of states were demonstrating reluctance, and in some cases hesitation, in confronting what it described as increasingly aggressive conduct by influential countries.
The remarks were made by Amnesty International Secretary-General Agnes Callamard during the launch of the organisation’s annual global report in London, where she issued sharp criticism of US President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, describing them as “predatory leaders”.
In its assessment of global human rights conditions, Amnesty said these leaders were undermining the multilateral system established after the Second World War, replacing it with what it called a “vision without moral compass”, in which military force is increasingly used in place of diplomacy to shape global power relations.
In her foreword to the report, Callamard said the current international climate represented a pivotal moment that risks dismantling decades of progress in human rights protection and global cooperation.
“Throughout 2025, Trump, Putin and Netanyahu, among others, have continued to pursue economic and political dominance through international destruction, repression and large-scale violence,” she said.
She added that these leaders were “destroying everything that stands in the way of their dominance and greed, and attacking the very foundations of universal human rights”.
Callamard also criticised what she described as the reluctance of many governments, particularly in Europe, to take a firm stand against these developments.
“Most governments, particularly in Europe, are not confronting these predators but instead choosing to be lenient,” she said.
She argued that the ongoing conflict in West Asia illustrates broader attempts to reshape global norms, driven by ideologies that devalue human life and undermine universal rights protections.
The Amnesty chief also accused Trump of actions she said were unprecedented in weakening the rule of law and concentrating executive authority.
China was not classified among the “predatory” states in the report, which described its approach as more cautious, though it was criticised for its support of Myanmar’s military authorities and its backing of Russia.
The report, which placed significant focus on Israel’s military operations in Gaza, said the world’s most powerful governments had failed to take meaningful action to stop mass killings or to end what it described as illegal occupation and apartheid conditions.
Callamard said the global response to such crises reflected widespread hesitation among world leaders.
“In the face of such bullies and plunderers, almost all world leaders are showing cowardice,” she said.
“Most world leaders, unfortunately, can be described as cowardly.
“I can say that almost the entire European Union is worried,” she told AFP, while commending Spain and Slovenia for taking more vocal and critical positions on Israel. - April 21, 2026
