In a landslide victory in the April 12 elections, Hungarian opposition candidate Péter Magyar defeated long-entrenched incumbent Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, a global icon for the ascendant authoritarian right. In his 16 years in power, Orbán had become a quasi-dictator. He turned the state media into a mouthpiece for his Hungarian Civic Alliance (Fidesz), redrew electoral districts to favor Fidesz, and stacked the judiciary with loyalists—leading the EuroParliament in an official report in 2022 to declare that his government was no longer a democracy but a "hybrid regime of electoral autocracy." He was defeated despite visits to Hungary to campaign for him by such prominent figures from the international far right as Italy's Matteo Salvini, Marine Le Pen of France, and US Vice President JD Vance. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen hailed the electoral result as a "victory for fundamental freedoms."

The UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances (CED) requested April 2 that the United Nations secretary-general refer the crisis of enforced disappearances in Mexico to the General Assembly for consideration of response measures.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) released a statement March 31 condemning the "unlawful use of lethal force outside any context of armed conflict" by the US military over the past recent months. The statement said that the deadly US strikes on vessels thought to be carrying illegal drugs in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific amount to "extrajudicial executions."

UN experts on March 27 welcomed Colombian President Gustavo Petro's ratification of the 1989 International Convention against Recruitment, Use, Financing & Training of Mercenaries. The experts praised the signing of what amounts to a new anti-mercenary legislative package, calling it an essential step toward protecting human rights and upholding international legal obligations.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro said on Feb. 15 he would accept a proposal from the country's largest remaining rebel group to allow an independent commission to investigate its alleged links to drug trafficking.

During the annual State of the Nation address on Feb. 12, South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the deployment of military troops to support police efforts against illegal mining and gang violence in the provinces of Gauteng and Western Cape.

Laura Fernández, a 39-year-old political scientist and right-wing populist, will be Costa Rica's next president. Fernández secured nearly 50% of the vote in last week's election, becoming the first candidate in more than a decade to clear the threshold needed to win outright in the first round. She did so by promising to respond forcefully to the country's exaggerated yet real insecurity crisis linked to the drug trade—the overwhelming concern for most voters. On the campaign trail, Fernández drew openly from the playbook of Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, whose brutal anti-gang crackdown has inspired conservatives across the region. She called for a "state of exception" to combat crime, promised to complete the construction of a massive Bukele-inspired prison, and spoke with Bukele before any other foreign leader after her win. Her Sovereign People's Party won a majority of congressional seats but fell short of the supermajority necessary to guarantee the constitutional or judicial reforms she promised on the campaign trail. (NACLA Update)

Amnesty International on Feb. 3 condemned both the January attack by the US military on Venezuela and the abuses long committed by the ousted Maduro government.