The record
Incidents, stage: eliminate, outcome sustained
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
CountryHong Kong, RSF 2026 rank: 140th of 180Nicaragua, RSF 2026 rank: 168th of 180Russia, RSF 2026 rank: 172nd of 180Viet Nam
TacticSecrets and espionage laws 2Detention and violence 1Licensing and closure of outlets 1Insult and defamation laws 1Official labels 1Expulsion and visa denial 1
StageEliminate 4
OutcomeSustained 4
| Date | Incident | Country | Tactic | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 December 2025 | China (Hong Kong): conviction and 20-year sentence of the media owner Jimmy Lai under the National Security Law, 2025 to 2026 | Hong Kong (RSF 2026 rank: 140th of 180) | Detention and violence | John Lee | Sustained (8 February 2026) |
| 15 February 2023 | Russia: journalist Maria Ponomarenko is sentenced to six years for reporting on a Mariupol strike | Russia (RSF 2026 rank: 172nd of 180) | Insult and defamation laws | Vladimir Putin | Sustained (15 February 2023) |
| 15 February 2023 | Nicaragua strips 94 political opponents, including journalists, of citizenship | Nicaragua (RSF 2026 rank: 168th of 180) | Expulsion and visa denial | Daniel Ortega | Sustained |
| 14 December 2021 | Vietnam: journalist Pham Doan Trang is sentenced to nine years for anti-state "propaganda" | Viet Nam (RSF rank: not recorded) | Secrets and espionage laws | Nguyen Xuan Phuc | Sustained (14 December 2021) |
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