{
  "title": "Incidents: licensing and closure of outlets in South Africa, stage: silence",
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  "pages": 1,
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  "counts_caveat": "The number of entries reflects the depth of this record, not the severity of a country's conduct.",
  "facets": {
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      {
        "value": "ZA",
        "label": "South Africa",
        "rsf": {
          "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index",
          "year": 2026,
          "rank": 21,
          "of": 180,
          "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 21st of 180",
          "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index"
        }
      }
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    "continent": [
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      {
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        "label": "Licensing and closure of outlets",
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        "count": 1
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    "outcome": [
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        "label": "Reversed",
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    "leader": [
      {
        "value": "daniel-francois-malan",
        "label": "Daniel François Malan"
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    "era": [
      {
        "value": "1950s",
        "label": "1950s",
        "count": 1
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    "year": [
      {
        "value": "1950",
        "label": "1950",
        "count": 1
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  "results": [
    {
      "slug": "1950-south-africa-suppression-of-communism-act",
      "title": "South Africa's Suppression of Communism Act lets the government ban publications and restrict individuals",
      "occurred_on": "1950-03-17",
      "occurred_on_precision": "day",
      "country": "ZA",
      "country_name": "South Africa",
      "continent": "africa",
      "jurisdiction": "ZA",
      "level": "national",
      "tactic_primary": "prior_restraint",
      "tactics": [
        "detention_and_violence",
        "outlet_licensing",
        "prior_restraint"
      ],
      "leader_slug": "daniel-francois-malan",
      "leader_name": "Daniel François Malan",
      "issue_of_the_day": "South Africa's National Party government, elected in 1948 on a platform of apartheid racial segregation, used the act to suppress the Communist Party of South Africa and, more broadly, organized political opposition to its policies.",
      "outcome": "reversed",
      "outcome_on": "1990-02-02",
      "outcome_note": "The government lifted bans on individuals and organizations under the act and its successors on February 2, 1990, as State President F. W. de Klerk began dismantling apartheid.",
      "stage": "silence",
      "ladder_note": null,
      "rsf": {
        "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index",
        "year": 2026,
        "rank": 21,
        "of": 180,
        "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 21st of 180",
        "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index"
      },
      "era": "1950s",
      "granularity": "anchor",
      "status": "historical",
      "case_count": 0,
      "summary": "Under Prime Minister Daniel François Malan, South Africa's parliament approved the Suppression of Communism Act in 1950, defining communism broadly enough to cover most opposition to apartheid. It let the government ban organizations and publications and forbid banned individuals from being quoted at all.",
      "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/1950-south-africa-suppression-of-communism-act"
    }
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  "license": {
    "name": "CC BY 4.0",
    "url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"
  }
}