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How governments have limited journalists, 1900 to today.

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Incidents: insult and defamation laws, stage: punish

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.

9 incidents match this view.

Country: Hong Kong, RSF 2026 rank: 140th of 180 Hungary, RSF 2026 rank: 74th of 180 India, RSF 2026 rank: 157th of 180 Russia, RSF 2026 rank: 172nd of 180 Serbia, RSF 2026 rank: 104th of 180 Tunisia, RSF 2026 rank: 137th of 180 Türkiye, RSF 2026 rank: 163rd of 180 Zimbabwe, RSF 2026 rank: 124th of 180

Continent: Africa Asia Europe

Tactic: Insult and defamation laws (9) Detention and violence (3) Secrets and espionage laws (1) Shutdowns and blocking (1) Funding and ownership pressure (1)

Stage: Punish (9)

Outcome: Sustained (3) Unknown (2) Ongoing (2) Upheld by a court (1) Reversed (1)

Level: National (9)

Head of government: Emmerson Mnangagwa John Lee Kais Saied Narendra Modi Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Slobodan Milosevic Viktor Orban Vladimir Putin

DateIncidentCountryTacticHead of governmentOutcome
February 10, 2026India: one-year prison sentence for the journalist Ravi Nair in a criminal defamation case, February 2026India (RSF 2026 rank: 157th of 180)Insult and defamation lawsNarendra ModiUnknown (February 10, 2026)
January 16, 2025Tunisia's cybercrime decree pushes jailed-journalist count to highest since 1992Tunisia (RSF 2026 rank: 137th of 180)Insult and defamation lawsKais SaiedSustained
August 29, 2024Hong Kong court convicts Stand News editors of seditionHong Kong (RSF 2026 rank: 140th of 180)Insult and defamation lawsJohn LeeUpheld by a court (September 26, 2024)
November 1, 2023Turkish authorities detain three journalists under 'disinformation' lawTürkiye (RSF 2026 rank: 163rd of 180)Insult and defamation lawsRecep Tayyip ErdoğanOngoing
July 14, 2023Zimbabwe's Patriotic Act criminalizes journalists' contact with foreign governmentsZimbabwe (RSF 2026 rank: 124th of 180)Secrets and espionage lawsEmmerson MnangagwaSustained (July 14, 2023)
March 4, 2022Russia criminalizes 'fake' reporting on the military, up to 15 years in prisonRussia (RSF 2026 rank: 172nd of 180)Insult and defamation lawsVladimir PutinSustained
January 22, 2022Turkiye: journalist Sedef Kabas is arrested for a proverb about President ErdoganTürkiye (RSF 2026 rank: 163rd of 180)Insult and defamation lawsRecep Tayyip ErdoğanOngoing (June 22, 2023)
March 30, 2020Hungary criminalizes false coronavirus information and grants Orban decree powersHungary (RSF 2026 rank: 74th of 180)Insult and defamation lawsViktor OrbanUnknown
October 20, 1998Serbia's Public Information Act lets courts fine independent newspapers into financial dangerSerbia (RSF 2026 rank: 104th of 180)Insult and defamation lawsSlobodan MilosevicReversed (January 1, 2001)
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