The War On News

A record of government actions against journalism and fact-based reporting, 1900 to today

The record

Incidents in Asia, stage: eliminate

Each incident is a dated action by a government, an official, a regulator, a court or a legislature that limited journalists' ability to gather or publish news.

The number of entries reflects the depth of this record, not the severity of a country's conduct.

All filters: country, dates, head of government, sort
CountryAzerbaijanChina, RSF 2026 rank: 178th of 180Hong Kong, RSF 2026 rank: 140th of 180Iran, RSF 2026 rank: 177th of 180Myanmar, RSF 2026 rank: 166th of 180North KoreaSaudi Arabia, RSF 2026 rank: 176th of 180ThailandViet Nam
ContinentAsia
TacticSecrets and espionage laws 6Detention and violence 5Licensing and closure of outlets 1Insult and defamation laws 1
StageEliminate 10
OutcomeOngoing 3Reversed 3Sustained 2Unknown 1Upheld by a court 1
LevelNational 9State or province 1
Head of governmentAung San Suu KyiEbrahim RaisiIlham AliyevJohn LeeKim Jong IlNguyen Xuan PhucSalman bin Abdulaziz Al SaudXi JinpingYingluck Shinawatra

10 incidents match this view.

TableCardsCSVJSONMarkdown
DateIncidentCountryTacticHead of governmentOutcome
15 December 2025China (Hong Kong): conviction and 20-year sentence of the media owner Jimmy Lai under the National Security Law, 2025 to 2026Hong Kong (RSF 2026 rank: 140th of 180)Detention and violenceJohn LeeSustained (8 February 2026)
November 2024China: editor Dong Yuyu is sentenced to seven years for espionage over meals with a diplomatChina (RSF 2026 rank: 178th of 180)Secrets and espionage lawsXi JinpingOngoing (1 November 2024)
17 January 2024Iran: journalists Niloofar Hamedi and Elahe Mohammadi are sentenced to 13 and 12 yearsIran (RSF 2026 rank: 177th of 180)Secrets and espionage lawsEbrahim RaisiOngoing (17 January 2024)
14 December 2021Vietnam: journalist Pham Doan Trang is sentenced to nine years for anti-state "propaganda"Viet Nam (RSF rank: not recorded)Secrets and espionage lawsNguyen Xuan PhucSustained (14 December 2021)
14 May 2020China: citizen journalist Zhang Zhan imprisoned for Wuhan reportingChina (RSF 2026 rank: 178th of 180)Detention and violenceXi JinpingOngoing
2 October 2018Saudi Arabia's government kills journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside its Istanbul consulateSaudi Arabia (RSF 2026 rank: 176th of 180)Detention and violenceSalman bin Abdulaziz Al SaudUnknown
3 September 2018Myanmar sentences two Reuters journalists to seven years under the Official Secrets Act for reporting on a massacreMyanmar (RSF 2026 rank: 166th of 180)Secrets and espionage lawsAung San Suu KyiReversed (7 May 2019)
1 September 2015Azerbaijan: investigative journalist Khadija Ismayilova sentenced to 7.5 yearsAzerbaijan (RSF rank: not recorded)Detention and violenceIlham AliyevReversed (25 May 2016)
24 January 2013Thailand: magazine editor Somyot Prueksakasemsuk is sentenced to 11 years under the lese-majeste lawThailand (RSF rank: not recorded)Insult and defamation lawsYingluck ShinawatraUpheld by a court (30 April 2018)
8 June 2009North Korea: American journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee are sentenced to hard laborNorth Korea (RSF rank: not recorded)Secrets and espionage lawsKim Jong IlReversed (4 August 2009)
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