# Ladder: expulsion and visa denial, in Asia

A government expels correspondents who report from its territory for news organisations based in other countries, refuses them visas or accreditation, or declines to renew their permission to stay. The effect is less independent reporting from inside the country.

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

Narrow with ?stage= (restrict, pressure, punish, silence, eliminate), ?continent=, ?from= and ?to= (year or date).

## Restrict

Limiting access or credentials for particular reporters or outlets: bans from briefings or buildings, pool changes, credential revocations, accreditation refusals.

| Date | Country | Head of government | What was done | Outcome | Sources |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 7 January 2026 | [Israel](https://thewaronnews.com/countries/il) ([RSF 2026 rank: 116th of 180](https://rsf.org/en/index)) |  | Since the war in Gaza began in October 2023, the government of Israel has barred foreign journalists from entering the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian territory on the Mediterranean coast between Israel and Egypt, independently; foreign correspondents have entered only on trips escorted by the Israeli… [Full entry](https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2026-israel-maintains-ban-on-independent-press-access-to-gaza) | Sustained (25 February 2026) | 3 |

## Punish

Legal or physical action against individual journalists or sources: subpoenas and record seizures, prosecutions, arrests, detention, expulsions, visa denials, assault where a government actor is involved.

| Date | Country | Head of government | What was done | Outcome | Sources |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 14 June 1989 | [China](https://thewaronnews.com/countries/cn) ([RSF 2026 rank: 178th of 180](https://rsf.org/en/index)) | [Li Peng](https://thewaronnews.com/leaders/li-peng) | After declaring martial law in Beijing on May 20, 1989, China's government imposed rigid restrictions on coverage of pro-democracy protests and, following the military's June 3-4 clearing of Tiananmen Square, expelled Associated Press correspondent John Pomfret and Voice of America correspondent Al… [Full entry](https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/1989-china-tiananmen-foreign-journalists-expelled) | Sustained (1 January 1990) | 1 |
| 21 June 2009 | [Iran](https://thewaronnews.com/countries/ir) ([RSF 2026 rank: 177th of 180](https://rsf.org/en/index)) | [Mahmoud Ahmadinejad](https://thewaronnews.com/leaders/mahmoud-ahmadinejad) | After Iran's disputed June 2009 presidential election produced mass protests, the government expelled BBC correspondent Jon Leyne, revoked foreign press credentials, confined most foreign journalists to office-based reporting, and blocked access to numerous websites. [Full entry](https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2009-iran-post-election-foreign-press-restrictions) | Unknown | 2 |
| 17 January 2019 | [Türkiye](https://thewaronnews.com/countries/tr) ([RSF 2026 rank: 163rd of 180](https://rsf.org/en/index)) | [Recep Tayyip Erdoğan](https://thewaronnews.com/leaders/recep-tayyip-erdogan) | Turkish authorities detained Dutch freelance journalist Ans Boersma while she tried to renew her residence permit in Istanbul and deported her the next day, citing an alleged link to a Syrian armed group that the Netherlands said it had never been asked about. Note: A foreign correspondent was detained overnight and deported on an allegation her own government said it was never asked to confirm; the White House ban has not deported a journalist from the country. [Full entry](https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2019-turkiye-deports-ans-boersma) | Sustained (17 January 2019) | 2 |
| 7 November 2019 | [India](https://thewaronnews.com/countries/in) ([RSF 2026 rank: 157th of 180](https://rsf.org/en/index)) | [Narendra Modi](https://thewaronnews.com/leaders/narendra-modi) | India's government cancelled writer and journalist Aatish Taseer's Overseas Citizen of India status months after he wrote a Time magazine cover story critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, citing his father's Pakistani nationality. Note: India revoked a journalist's long-term immigration status months after his cover story criticized the prime minister; the White House ban withdrew building access, not legal status to enter the country. [Full entry](https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2019-india-revokes-taseer-oci-status) | Sustained (7 November 2019) | 3 |
| 17 March 2020 | [China](https://thewaronnews.com/countries/cn) ([RSF 2026 rank: 178th of 180](https://rsf.org/en/index)) | [Xi Jinping](https://thewaronnews.com/leaders/xi-jinping) | China ordered American correspondents for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post to leave the country, in a reciprocal response to the Trump administration capping the number of Chinese state-media employees allowed in the United States, which itself followed China's ea… [Full entry](https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2020-china-expels-us-newspaper-journalists) | Sustained | 1 |
| 19 March 2025 | [Türkiye](https://thewaronnews.com/countries/tr) ([RSF 2026 rank: 163rd of 180](https://rsf.org/en/index)) | [Recep Tayyip Erdoğan](https://thewaronnews.com/leaders/recep-tayyip-erdogan) | After the detention of the mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem İmamoğlu, on March 19, 2025, protests spread in Türkiye, and between March 19 and March 28, 2025, the authorities detained at least 13 journalists, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), a non-profit organization in New York. [Full entry](https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2025-turkiye-detains-and-deports-journalists-covering-protests) | Unknown (2 April 2025) | 1 |

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