State Department to focus on freedom of speech in next human rights report, likely targeting European governments
By Jennifer Hansler, CNN
(CNN) — The US State Department will focus on “natural rights” like freedom of speech in its next human rights report, a senior State Department official said Thursday, as the Trump administration targets traditional European allies for alleged freedom of speech restrictions.
The move further institutionalizes changes seen in the latest report released in August, which covered the 2024 calendar year. That report alleged “significant human rights issues” in allied countries including the United Kingdom, France and Germany over “serious restrictions on freedom of expression.”
The State Department instructed all embassies and consulates in a diplomatic cable Thursday to begin preparing the congressionally required annual report. The official said they are encouraging diplomats to “go out in the field, talk to people, collect data that then informs the report.”
The future report is “really going to reflect what’s going on in the country,” they said.
“For instance, in Western Europe, we see a backsliding of the protection of freedom of expression. So of course, we’re going to prioritize that versus another country that is maybe not curtailing free speech as much,” the official said.
Top Trump administration officials, including Vice President JD Vance, have lambasted European nations over allegations of free speech backsliding while also meeting with far-right European political figures. At the same time, the administration has also revoked and denied visas for alleged antisemitic speech and comments made about the murder of right-wing commentator Charlie Kirk.
“When it comes to Western Europe, we’re not saying that we’re favoring one opposition party or one particular political group. We’re saying all groups, all parties, all people should be able to speak freely, and that includes on the internet. That includes on social media,” the senior State Department official said Thursday.
“In Europe, the (Digital Services Act) is a regulatory regime that restricts speech online,” the official said, referencing a sweeping EU law that requires Big Tech platforms to take meaningful steps to reduce illegal and harmful content.
The official noted that the human rights report, formally known as the Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, is used “as a tool to change the behavior of governments.”
“When our European friends are restricting free speech, we’ll have a conversation, and if they make changes, we will note that in the future report,” they said.
The official also noted that they “are moving away from group identities, group labels, and focusing on the fact that when a person is persecuted for whatever reason, that is a violation of the moral law.”
“We’re making sure that we’re promoting individual freedom not based on some group identity,” they said.
The latest human rights report released in August had already been stripped of specific sections of reporting on alleged abuses based on sexual orientation, violence toward women and systemic racial or ethnic violence.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2025 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
