Era
The 2010s
Government actions against journalists, 2010 to 2019
42 recorded incidents dated 2010 to 2019, by continent and region.
Africa
Northern Africa
| Date | Incident | Country | Tactic | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 December 2013 | Egypt arrests and later convicts three Al Jazeera journalists on terrorism-related charges | Egypt (RSF 2026 rank: 169th of 180) | Detention and violence | Adly Mansour | Reversed (23 September 2015) |
| October 2018 | Egypt: a license requirement leaves an independent news site unable to operate legally for years | Egypt (RSF 2026 rank: 169th of 180) | Prior restraint | Abdel Fattah el-Sisi | Ongoing (26 October 2020) |
| 22 March 2019 | Egypt: media law used to fine and block news site al-Mashhad | Egypt (RSF 2026 rank: 169th of 180) | Official labels | Abdel Fattah el-Sisi | Unknown (7 May 2019) |
Eastern Africa
| Date | Incident | Country | Tactic | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 March 2018 | Tanzania requires bloggers and online publishers to register and pay an annual government fee | Tanzania (RSF 2026 rank: 117th of 180) | Licensing and closure of outlets | John Magufuli | Unknown (12 April 2018) |
Asia
Western Asia
South-eastern Asia
Southern Asia
| Date | Incident | Country | Tactic | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 August 2019 | India imposes a communications blackout in Jammu and Kashmir after revoking the region's special status | India (RSF 2026 rank: 157th of 180) | Shutdowns and blocking | Narendra Modi | Ongoing (5 August 2020) |
| 7 November 2019 | India: journalist Aatish Taseer's overseas citizenship revoked | India (RSF 2026 rank: 157th of 180) | Expulsion and visa denial | Narendra Modi | Sustained (7 November 2019) |
| 16 November 2019 | Iran: near-total internet shutdown during fuel-price protests | Iran (RSF 2026 rank: 177th of 180) | Shutdowns and blocking | Hassan Rouhani | Reversed (23 November 2019) |
Europe
Eastern Europe
Northern Europe
| Date | Incident | Country | Tactic | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 August 2013 | United Kingdom detains journalist's partner under terrorism law and oversees destruction of Guardian hard drives holding Snowden files | United Kingdom (RSF 2026 rank: 18th of 180) | Surveillance and subpoenas | David Cameron | Upheld by a court (19 January 2016) |
Southern Europe
| Date | Incident | Country | Tactic | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 2017 | Malta: minister orders reporter's bank account frozen | Malta (RSF rank: not recorded) | Lawsuits against the press | Joseph Muscat | Unknown |
North America
Northern America
Central America
| Date | Incident | Country | Tactic | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 June 2017 | Mexico: journalist Carmen Aristegui receives Pegasus spyware through phishing texts | Mexico (RSF rank: not recorded) | Surveillance and subpoenas | Enrique Pena Nieto | Unknown (20 June 2017) |
| September 2018 | Nicaragua: freelance correspondent detained and deported after online campaign | Nicaragua (RSF 2026 rank: 168th of 180) | Expulsion and visa denial | Daniel Ortega | Sustained (30 September 2018) |
South America
| Date | Incident | Country | Tactic | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 June 2013 | Ecuador's Organic Communication Law creates a regulator that issues hundreds of sanctions against journalists and outlets | Ecuador (RSF 2026 rank: 125th of 180) | Funding and ownership pressure | Rafael Correa | Reversed (20 February 2019) |
| 1 September 2017 | Venezuela expels or denies entry to dozens of foreign journalists covering anti-government protests | Venezuela (RSF 2026 rank: 159th of 180) | Expulsion and visa denial | Nicolas Maduro | Ongoing (25 January 2018) |
Oceania
| Date | Incident | Country | Tactic | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 June 2019 | Australian Federal Police raid the national broadcaster over reporting on alleged war crimes in Afghanistan | Australia (RSF 2026 rank: 33rd of 180) | Surveillance and subpoenas | Scott Morrison | Reversed (15 October 2020) |