Era
The 1990s
Government actions against journalists, 1990 to 1999
8 recorded incidents dated 1990 to 1999, by continent and region.
Africa
| Date | Incident | Country | Tactic | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 1995 | Nigeria's military government convicts journalists by special tribunal over coup-plot reporting | Nigeria (RSF 2026 rank: 112th of 180) | Detention and violence | Sani Abacha | Reversed (15 June 1998) |
Asia
| Date | Incident | Country | Tactic | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 September 1998 | Malaysia pressures domestic media and monitors foreign correspondents after arresting former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim | Malaysia (RSF 2026 rank: 95th of 180) | Surveillance and subpoenas | Mahathir Mohamad | Unknown |
Europe
Eastern Europe
| Date | Incident | Country | Tactic | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Belarus jails journalist Pavel Sheremet over his reporting for Russian television station ORT | Belarus (RSF 2026 rank: 165th of 180) | Detention and violence | Alexander Lukashenko | Sustained |
Southern Europe
| Date | Incident | Country | Tactic | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 October 1998 | Serbia's Public Information Act lets courts fine independent newspapers into financial danger | Serbia (RSF 2026 rank: 104th of 180) | Insult and defamation laws | Slobodan Milosevic | Reversed (1 October 2000) |
North America
| Date | Incident | Country | Tactic | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 March 1990 | United States Supreme Court strikes down Florida law barring a reporter from discussing his own grand jury testimony | United States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180) | Secrets and espionage laws | Bob Martinez | Reversed (21 March 1990) |
| 8 November 1990 | United States federal court bars CNN from broadcasting recordings of Manuel Noriega's calls with his lawyers | United States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180) | Prior restraint | George H. W. Bush | Upheld by a court (18 November 1990) |
| 17 January 1991 | United States military restricts reporters to escorted press pools during the Gulf War | United States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180) | Access bans | George H. W. Bush | Sustained (28 February 1991) |
South America
| Date | Incident | Country | Tactic | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 1997 | Peru strips television station owner Baruch Ivcher of his citizenship after critical reporting | Peru (RSF rank: not recorded) | Funding and ownership pressure | Alberto Fujimori | Sustained |