The War On News

A record of government actions against journalism and fact-based reporting, from the first press laws to today

The record

Incidents: prior restraint in Europe

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
CountryCzechia, RSF 2026 rank: 11th of 180Germany, RSF 2026 rank: 14th of 180GreecePortugal, RSF 2026 rank: 10th of 180Russia, RSF 2026 rank: 172nd of 180Spain, RSF 2026 rank: 29th of 180United Kingdom, RSF 2026 rank: 18th of 180
ContinentEurope
TacticPrior restraint 9Licensing and closure of outlets 3Shutdowns and blocking 1Detention and violence 1Credential control 1Insult and defamation laws 1Secrets and espionage laws 1
StagePunish 1Silence 8
OutcomeReversed 5Sustained 2Unknown 1Ongoing 1
LevelNational 9
Head of governmentAlexander DubčekAntónio de Oliveira SalazarEdward HeathFrancisco FrancoGeorgios TsolakoglouHerbert Henry AsquithKonrad AdenauerMargaret ThatcherVladimir Lenin

9 incidents match this view.

TableCardsCSVJSONMarkdown
DateIncidentCountryTacticHead of governmentOutcome
October 1988United Kingdom bars broadcasters from airing Sinn Féin members' own voicesUnited Kingdom (RSF 2026 rank: 18th of 180)Licensing and closure of outletsMargaret ThatcherReversed (16 September 1994)
17 November 1972United Kingdom court bars The Sunday Times from publishing an article on thalidomideUnited Kingdom (RSF 2026 rank: 18th of 180)Prior restraintEdward HeathReversed (26 April 1979)
21 August 1968Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia is followed by the return of government press controlsCzechia (RSF 2026 rank: 11th of 180)Prior restraintAlexander DubčekReversed (1 November 1989)
26 October 1962West Germany: police raid Der Spiegel's offices and arrest its editors over a defense articleGermany (RSF 2026 rank: 14th of 180)Detention and violenceKonrad AdenauerUnknown
8 May 1941Greece: collaborationist government creates a Directorate-General for Press and Radio to review films and publications before releaseGreece (RSF rank: not recorded)Prior restraintGeorgios TsolakoglouSustained
April 1938Franco's Spain requires state permission to be a journalist under a wartime Press LawSpain (RSF 2026 rank: 29th of 180)Credential controlFrancisco FrancoReversed (1 April 1977)
1933Portugal's Salazar government formally establishes press controls under a new constitutionPortugal (RSF 2026 rank: 10th of 180)Prior restraintAntónio de Oliveira SalazarReversed (25 April 1974)
1922Glavlit created: Soviet censorship office, 1922Russia (RSF 2026 rank: 172nd of 180)Prior restraintVladimir LeninOngoing (1 January 1989)
27 August 1914Britain's Official Press Bureau controls newspaper coverage of the First World WarUnited Kingdom (RSF 2026 rank: 18th of 180)Prior restraintHerbert Henry AsquithSustained (12 November 1914)
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