The U.S. State Department on 12 August released its congressionally mandated 2024 Human Rights Report after months of internal revisions, unveiling a document that markedly realigns Washington’s public appraisal of global abuses with President Donald Trump’s foreign-policy priorities. Compiled under Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the new edition trims hundreds of pages, introduces broader headings such as “Life, Liberty and Security of the Person,” and says the overhaul was intended to remove redundancy and improve readability. The report sharply softens language toward key Trump partners. Its Israel chapter is far shorter than last year’s and omits any reference to Gaza’s roughly 61,000 war-related deaths. On El Salvador, the document states there were “no credible reports of significant human rights abuses,” a reversal of the 2023 assessment that catalogued unlawful killings, torture and life-threatening prison conditions. References to LGBTQ rights, systemic corruption and gender-based violence—prominent in earlier editions—are largely absent throughout the publication. By contrast, the State Department heightens criticism of governments that have recently clashed with Washington. It says Brazil’s human-rights environment “worsened” in 2024, accusing courts of suppressing online speech that supported former President Jair Bolsonaro and noting broader limits on public debate. South Africa is cited for a surge in extrajudicial killings and for legislation that would allow land expropriation without compensation, moves the report argues target Afrikaner minorities. The document also alleges “serious restrictions on freedom of expression” in the United Kingdom, France and Germany, echoing Trump administration complaints about European internet-regulation laws. Current and former U.S. officials told media outlets that the report’s release was delayed while political appointees rewrote earlier drafts and dismissed staff in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor. Rights advocates say the result undermines the report’s decades-long role as a benchmark for accountability, while administration officials contend the slimmer volume better meets congressional mandates and reflects a focus on protecting Western values.