Authoritarian practices are tactics that governments and others in power use to stop people from speaking out, limit civic space, entrench power, weaken or undermine the rule of law, and violate human rights.
How governments use authoritarian practices
Governments and leaders use authoritarian practices to consolidate power—to silence, divide or control. It is not about which political affiliation or government system is best. It is about understanding how fear and division are used politically, how narratives are manipulated, and how to question the systems and stories that allow injustice to grow. Often, such practices are introduced under the guise of “restoring order” or “protecting the nation.”
These practices can include:
- Controlling information
- Silencing critics and dissent
- Scapegoating certain groups
- Undermining courts and media
- Disregarding the rule of law (so that some people are “above the law”)
- Weakening public institutions (like courts, civil service, media)
- Justifying abusive measures
- Testing tactics of repression
- Evading accountability
- And, ultimately, undermining human rights
By the time the harms are undeniable, the institutions designed to restrain power may already be compromised.
How the erosion of human rights begins
Authoritarian practices may seem to affect only a few at first. But as human rights safeguards are weakened, everyone’s freedoms are diminished. People become afraid to speak out, and information is manipulated to benefit only some sections of society. Rights that once felt secure can quickly disappear.
Authoritarian practices don’t always come from someone wearing a military uniform. Sometimes, people trying to impose authoritarian practices use the language of “patriotism” or “family values” as a pretext or justification. Often, they speak to common fears people may share. These fear-based narratives help divide people and lay the groundwork for exclusion, repression, and abuses. And when leaders frame diversity, protest or education as threats, they justify censorship, surveillance and crackdowns in the name of safety, traditional values, or national unity.
These messages and practices set the ground for human rights crackdowns and sabotage the international agreements and systems that nations have built together through their membership in the United Nations and the adoption of international human rights conventions.
How the Trump administration uses authoritarian practices
The Trump administration’s embrace of authoritarian practices has plunged the United States into a human rights emergency. We’re witnessing a dangerous playbook unfold at shocking speed.
Trump is using his power to intimidate, create chaos, and exhaust opposition to his anti-human rights agenda. His former strategist Steve Bannon outlined their strategy clearly, calling it “muzzle velocity.”
President Trump’s administration is cracking the pillars of a free society. Although not a comprehensive list, the administration’s authoritarian practices include:
- Targeting freedom of the press and access to information
- Targeting freedom of expression and assembly
- Targeting civil society and universities
- Targeting political opponents and critics
- Targeting judges, lawyers, and the legal system
- Undermining due process
- Attacking refugee and migrant rights
- Scapegoating populations and rolling back non-discrimination policies
- Using the military for domestic purposes and militarizing law enforcement
- Dismantling checks on corporate accountability and anti-corruption measures
- Increasing surveillance capacity
- Undermining international systems designed to protect human rights
The Trump administration has moved swiftly—oftentimes outside the bounds of the law—to trample on rights and dangerously consolidate power. We know where this path leads. But we also know that we can stop it.
How we can resist
Recognizing authoritarian practices is the first step in resisting them. And this is where human rights frameworks come in. Human rights are not only protections – they are also a call to action.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights reminds us that states have a duty to respect, protect and fulfill human rights. And every individual, including you, and every part of society can help promote and defend these rights and freedoms
Confronting governments for their failure to fulfill their human rights obligations has always been challenging, but what is happening now is a full-scale assault on human rights.
At a time when the state is terrorizing, torturing, and killing people, our collective action is needed. We cannot back down. We cannot let their violations continue.
But we need your help to stop their authoritarian practices.
Urge your senators and representatives to prevent the normalization of repression and human rights violations.