The State of the World's Human Rights; Uruguay 2025

Restrictions on freedom of expression and access to public information continued. Prison overcrowding resulted in inhumane conditions of detention, and mortality rates were high. Members of the armed forces continued to be prosecuted for crimes against humanity committed during the civil-military regime (1973-1985), but no progress was made in investigations into enforced disappearances during that period. The rate of femicides and complaints for violence against women continued to be high. The provision of mental health services and of social assistance were inadequate. Adolescent pregnancy remained a concern.

Background

Uruguay’s system of rights guarantees continued to weaken. During the debate on the government’s 2025-2029 budget, a reduction in the allocation of resources for policies to strengthen the system of rights guarantees was detected, in areas such as the fight against gender-based violence, the protection of children and adolescents, and access to mental health services.

In September, the interim attorney general, Mónica Ferrero, was attacked in her home, generating great public alarm.

Freedom of expression

According to a report published in May by the Centre for Archives and Access to Public Information, between April 2024 and March 2025 there were 51 incidents of threats and restrictions on freedom of expression against journalists. The restrictions imposed on free journalism continued to generate concern.

In July, journalist Fernanda Kosak was censored after she spoke out in support of Palestine.

Right to information

More than 15 years after Law 18381 on the Right of Access to Public Information was approved, access to public information was still inadequate, with policies on transparency and access to public information still not implemented by public institutions subject to the law.

In April, the interim attorney general banned the publication of requests to formalize investigations into cases of public interest. This obscured the work of the Attorney General’s Office and restricted access to information.

Inhumane detention conditions

Overcrowding in the prison system persisted. According to data from the ministry of the interior, the prison population increased steadily, exceeding 16,000 inmates in December, which represents a rate of 32 people per police officer, 63 for each civilian prison worker, and 157 for each medical technician, compared to the international standard of three people in custody in direct contact with each prison officer. In addition, the system had 10,000 people under alternative measures besides prison, supervised by the Interior Ministry. Civil society organizations expressed concern about deteriorating and unsanitary detention conditions, including overcrowding, which affected prisoners’ health. In June, four inmates died due to a fire in module 11 of the Santiago Vázquez prison (formerly known as COMCAR).

Impunity

In May, the Ministry of the Interior announced that the files of the Directorate of Information and Intelligence containing information on the events of the civil-military regime (1973-1985) would be reopened.

Fifteen convictions were handed down against active and retired members of the military and the police were convicted of torture, abductions and killings that amounted to crimes against humanity committed during the civil-military regime of the 1970s and 1980s. In addition, a former Uruguayan military officer was convicted in Rome, Italy, as part of that country’s ongoing investigation into the so-called Operation Condor. However, no substantive progress was made in clarifying the fate of the victims of enforced disappearance during that period.

Right to health

Access to mental health services was inadequate, and suicide rates generated concern among both the authorities and relevant civil society organizations. According to the National Police Union, 15 police officers died by suicide in 2025, a significantly higher rate than the general population. In July, the government reported 764 people died by suicide in 2024, with a suicide rate of 21.35 per 100,000 of the population.

Gender-based violence

According to the Ministry of the Interior, 16 femicides and 35,443 reports of violence against women were recorded between January and October. The high levels of gender-based violence continued to be attributed to the lack of implementation of Law 19580 on gender-based violence against women, with insufficient resources allocated to establishing multipurpose courts for dealing with all matters relating to this type of violence.

In September, a man committed suicide after murdering his daughter and son, aged two and six, respectively, in an incident of vicarious violence in the department of Río Negro. In the preceding three years, at least 13 children died as a result of vicarious violence.

Right to social care

In April, the Ministry of Social Development announced it would be working on the development of a national care plan. In October, the National Care Board presented the plan for the period 2026-2030 without having convened relevant civil society organizations during the development process.

A decade after its creation by Law 19353, the National Integrated Care System was still not functioning effectively. Those targeted by the care system were still unable to access the care services established by law. Women, who often carried out unpaid care work due to entrenched gender discrimination, were disproportionately affected.

Sexual and reproductive rights

Progress was made during the year in access to sexual and reproductive rights, but barriers to prevention of adolescent pregnancy persisted due to continued shortcomings in government policy. According to previously published information from the Ministry of Public Health and the State Health Services Administration, 190 girls under 15 years of age became pregnant in the period between 2021 and 2024. In 2024, out of a total of 29,899 births, there were 2,390 births to girls between 15 and 18 years of age, and 37 to girls under 15 years of age.

Children’s rights

In June, a three-month-old baby under the care of the Uruguayan Children and Adolescents Institute (INAU) was found dead in the department of Colonia. In August, a 13-year-old girl also under the care of the INAU was killed by her father while attending a medical consultation in the department of Maldonado.

Right to a healthy environment

In July, the government decided to cancel implementation of the Neptuno project for the construction of a water treatment plant for the metropolitan area of the capital, Montevideo, and announced the construction of a new plant in the town of Aguas Corrientes in the department of Canelones, without submitting comprehensive information on either environmental impact or impact on nearby communities.

Serious restrictions on access to public information on the implementation of production investment projects and mega-projects persisted, making it impossible to determine the impact of such projects on the environment, access to water and people’s quality of life.