Ladder: expulsion and visa denial, in Africa

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.

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3Punish

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.

ETEthiopiaRSF 2026 rank: 148th of 180

13 May 2022Abiy Ahmed

Ethiopia's media regulator revoked The Economist correspondent Tom Gardner's press accreditation and gave him 48 hours to leave the country, citing unspecified conduct, almost a year after expelling a New York Times reporter.

Note: Ethiopia gave a foreign correspondent 48 hours to leave over unspecified conduct, the second such expulsion in a year; the White House ban restricted access to the briefing room, not to the country itself.

Sustained 13 May 2022 · 2 sources · Full entry

All ladders · Expulsion and visa denial: by country and year · The United States chapter