Responding from Geneva to the failure of the US to participate in the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) on November 10, 2026, Amnesty International USA’s National Director for Government Relations, Amanda Klasing, said:
“The United States now has the shameful distinction of becoming the first country to void participating in all stages of the UN’s Universal Periodic Review peer-review process. Since its inception twenty yeaars ago, the UPR has become a cornerstone of international oversight and transparency, whereby all nations in the UN evaluate each other’s conduct as a means to improving respect for human rights across the board. No country—even those whose governments or leaders are accused of some of the most horrific atrocities imaginable—has ever completely absconded from the UPR. The Human Rights Council gave the US an extra year to participate, but the Trump administration still failed to show up.
“Walking away from this vital peer-review process, is yet another example of the Trump administration’s attempts to take a sledgehammer to institutions promoting and protecting human rights around the world.
“The Trump administration is attempting to avoid scrutiny of its own human rights record. This unprecedented evasion of the UPR process comes at a time when US authorities are increasingly violating human rights both domestically and overseas. At home, the administration has overseen the expansion of a horrific mass detention and deportation machine whose lawless agents have committed a laundry list of abuses from torture and enforced disappearances in detention sites to unlawful killings in the streets.
“US authorities have also targeted students, journalists, comedians and non-governmental organizations deemed critical of its policies. The UPR has historically provided an important opportunity for civil society under threat in a country to speak out so other governments can bring those concerns directly to the state under review. Skipping out on the UPR is thus a continuation of the Trump administration’s attempts to marginalize civil society in the US.
“Meanwhile, beyond US borders, the administration has undertaken a deadly campaign of illegal boat strikes in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific that has killed more than 240 people, launched military operations in Yemen and Iran that include unlawful air strikes which have killed hundreds of civilians with zero accountability or transparency, and continued to transfer weapons to Israel despite its genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
“It is well past time for the US Congress to step in and demand this administration uphold its international obligations and re-engage with the UPR.”