A coalition of LGBTQ+ and human rights organizations has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of State, accusing it of concealing congressionally mandated reports on global human rights abuses. The Council for Global Equality (CGE) claims the Trump-Vance administration deliberately suppressed findings and altered key details to shield certain countries. The lawsuit, filed in federal court, argues that the administration’s actions violate transparency laws and amount to what advocates call a “cover-up of a cover-up.”
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Annual Reports Withheld
The U.S. State Department is required under the Foreign Assistance Act to submit yearly reports to Congress by February 25, detailing human rights conditions worldwide. These reports, historically released in March or April, are widely used by governments and organizations to assess civil, political, and labor rights across nations. However, for the year 2024, the Trump administration has failed to submit or release the reports nearly six months past the deadline, raising alarms among rights advocates.
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Reports Ordered Streamlined
In April, NPR revealed a leaked State Department memo directing staff to “streamline” reports by removing references to several critical abuses. According to the memo, violations such as restricting freedom of movement, holding political prisoners without due process, and limiting fair elections would no longer be highlighted. Additionally, issues including refugee deportations to dangerous conditions, harassment of rights organizations, violence against LGBTQ+ individuals, and references to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) were ordered to be excluded.
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Key Abuses Deleted
The narrowed-down drafts also omitted mentions of coercive medical practices, severe internet restrictions, and gender-based violence. Violence against people with disabilities was also removed. Leaked copies obtained by The Washington Post showed that reports on El Salvador, Russia, and Israel, countries favored by the Trump administration, were “significantly shorter” than those under previous administrations, with omissions of widely documented violations.
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Favored Nations Shielded
In El Salvador’s case, where deported immigrants from the U.S. have reported abuse, the State Department claimed there were “no credible reports of significant human rights abuses.” Reports on Russia removed references to violence against LGBTQ+ people, while the Israel report deleted references to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s corruption trial and his government’s pressure on the judiciary. These omissions have fueled accusations of political favoritism over transparency.
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Equality Council Responds
Keifer Buckingham, managing director of the Council for Global Equality, condemned the move: “Secretary Rubio’s overtly political rewriting of the human rights reports is a dramatic departure from even his own past commitment to protecting the fundamental human rights of LGBTQI+ people. Strategic omission of these abuses is also directly in contravention to Congress’s requirement of a ‘full and complete report’ regarding the status of internationally recognized human rights.”
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Lawsuit Moves Forward
After a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request was denied, CGE partnered with legal nonprofit Democracy Forward to sue the State Department in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The lawsuit alleges the administration is withholding documents showing intentional concealment of human rights violations. Skye Perryman, president of Democracy Forward, stated: “The Trump-Vance administration is refusing to hand over documents that could show their culpability in hiding international human rights abuses.”
Global Implications
Advocates warn that the refusal to release accurate reports undermines America’s global credibility on human rights. Perryman added, “The world is watching the United States. We cannot risk a cover-up on top of a cover-up. If this administration is omitting or delaying the release of information about human rights abuses to gain favor with other countries, it is a shameful statement of the gross immorality of this administration.”