{ "title": "Ladder: lawsuits against the press, in Asia", "canonical_url": "https://thewaronnews.com/ladders/lawsuits_against_press?continent=asia", "filters": { "continent": "asia" }, "counts_caveat": "The number of entries reflects the depth of this record, not the severity of a country's conduct.", "tactic": { "slug": "lawsuits_against_press", "name": "Lawsuits against the press", "definition": "A government, a government agency or an official sues a journalist or a news organisation, usually for defamation or breach of contract, whether the official acts in office or in a personal capacity. Lawsuits that fail can still cost the defendant years of work and large legal fees.", "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/tactics/lawsuits_against_press" }, "focal_case": "US", "count": 4, "stages": [ { "stage": "pressure", "name": "Pressure", "definition": "Using state power short of prosecution to change coverage: regulatory threats, licence reviews, funding cuts, lawsuits by officials, official \"fake news\" or \"foreign agent\" labels, advertising pressure, tax audits.", "rungs": [ { "slug": "2026-kazakhstan-copyright-claims-against-press", "title": "Kazakhstan: fabricated copyright complaints used against journalists", "occurred_on": "2026-08-20", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "pressure", "focal_case": false, "country": "KZ", "country_name": "Kazakhstan", "continent": "asia", "rsf": null, "leader_slug": "kassym-jomart-tokayev", "leader_name": "Kassym-Jomart Tokayev", "what_was_done": "An investigation found paid services in Kazakhstan filing fabricated copyright complaints, impersonating global brands, to get social media platforms to remove journalists' accounts and posts, alongside criminal prosecutions of the press.", "outcome": "ongoing", "outcome_on": "2026-08-20", "outcome_note": "The pattern was reported as continuing at the time of the source reviewed, with no described resolution.", "ladder_note": "An investigation found paid services filing fabricated copyright complaints to remove Kazakh journalists' accounts, bypassing courts entirely; United States lawsuits against the press in the record proceed openly through the court system.", "sources_count": 2, "tactic_primary": "lawsuits_against_press", "tactics": [ "lawsuits_against_press" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2026-kazakhstan-copyright-claims-against-press" } ] }, { "stage": "punish", "name": "Punish", "definition": "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.", "rungs": [ { "slug": "1901-philippines-us-colonial-libel-act-el-renacimiento", "title": "Philippines: United States colonial government's libel law is used to close the newspaper El Renacimiento", "occurred_on": "1901-01-01", "occurred_on_precision": "year", "stage": "punish", "focal_case": false, "country": "PH", "country_name": "Philippines", "continent": "asia", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 114, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 114th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "william-howard-taft", "leader_name": "William Howard Taft", "what_was_done": "The United States colonial government in the Philippines enacted a criminal libel law in 1901 that Governor-General William Howard Taft defended by saying Filipinos were unused to the freedom of the press.", "outcome": "upheld", "outcome_on": "1914-01-01", "outcome_note": "Kalaw and Ocampo's convictions were affirmed on appeal, and Governor-General Francis Burton Harrison pardoned Ocampo in 1914, after the fine had already forced the paper to close.", "ladder_note": null, "sources_count": 2, "tactic_primary": "insult_and_defamation_laws", "tactics": [ "insult_and_defamation_laws", "lawsuits_against_press" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/1901-philippines-us-colonial-libel-act-el-renacimiento" }, { "slug": "2020-philippines-ressa-cyber-libel-conviction", "title": "Philippines: Maria Ressa convicted of cyber libel", "occurred_on": "2020-06-15", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "punish", "focal_case": false, "country": "PH", "country_name": "Philippines", "continent": "asia", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 114, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 114th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "rodrigo-duterte", "leader_name": "Rodrigo Duterte", "what_was_done": "A Manila court convicted Rappler's Maria Ressa and researcher Reynaldo Santos Jr. of criminal cyber libel and sentenced them to up to six years in prison, over a 2012 story republished after the cybercrime law used to charge them took effect.", "outcome": "ongoing", "outcome_on": "2020-06-15", "outcome_note": "Ressa and Santos were convicted and sentenced but remained free pending appeal, according to the source reviewed.", "ladder_note": "A court convicted an outlet's executive editor of criminal cyber libel and imposed a prison sentence over a story published before the cybercrime law existed; United States lawsuits against the press in the record are civil, seeking damages, not prison time.", "sources_count": 3, "tactic_primary": "lawsuits_against_press", "tactics": [ "lawsuits_against_press" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2020-philippines-ressa-cyber-libel-conviction" }, { "slug": "2022-turkiye-prosecutes-sedef-kabas", "title": "Türkiye: journalist Sedef Kabas tried for insulting the president", "occurred_on": "2022-01-14", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "stage": "punish", "focal_case": false, "country": "TR", "country_name": "Türkiye", "continent": "asia", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 163, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 163rd of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "leader_slug": "recep-tayyip-erdogan", "leader_name": "Recep Tayyip Erdoğan", "what_was_done": "Turkish authorities tried journalist Sedef Kabas repeatedly for insulting President Erdogan over her on-air comments and tweets questioning his college diploma and alleging corruption, an offense carrying up to four years in prison.", "outcome": "ongoing", "outcome_on": "2023-06-22", "outcome_note": "The Istanbul court declined to dismiss the second charge and the case remained open as of the source reviewed.", "ladder_note": "A journalist faced a second prosecution carrying up to four years in prison for tweets questioning the president's diploma, after an earlier conviction on the same charge; United States lawsuits against the press seek damages, not prison time.", "sources_count": 2, "tactic_primary": "lawsuits_against_press", "tactics": [ "lawsuits_against_press" ], "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2022-turkiye-prosecutes-sedef-kabas" } ] } ], "downloads": { "csv": "https://thewaronnews.com/ladders/lawsuits_against_press?continent=asia&format=csv", "json": "https://thewaronnews.com/ladders/lawsuits_against_press.json?continent=asia", "md": "https://thewaronnews.com/ladders/lawsuits_against_press.md?continent=asia" }, "license": { "name": "CC BY 4.0", "url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" } }