{ "title": "Search in Asia, from 2020, national level", "canonical_url": "https://thewaronnews.com/search?continent=asia&from=2020&level=national", "filters": { "continent": "asia", "from": "2020", "level": "national" }, "sort": "date", "count": 29, "page": 1, "pages": 1, "per_page": 50, "counts_caveat": "The number of entries reflects the depth of this record, not the severity of a country's conduct.", "facets": { "country": [ { "value": "BD", "label": "Bangladesh", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 152, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 152nd of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" } }, { "value": "KH", "label": "Cambodia", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 151, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 151st of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" } }, { "value": "CN", "label": "China", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 178, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 178th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" } }, { "value": "GE", "label": "Georgia", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 135, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 135th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" } }, { "value": "HK", "label": "Hong Kong", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 140, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 140th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" } }, { "value": "IN", "label": "India", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 157, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 157th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" } }, { "value": "IR", "label": "Iran", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 177, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 177th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" } }, { "value": "IL", "label": "Israel", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 116, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 116th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" } }, { "value": "KZ", "label": "Kazakhstan", "rsf": null }, { "value": "MM", "label": "Myanmar", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 166, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 166th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" } }, { "value": "PK", "label": "Pakistan", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 153, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 153rd of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" } }, { "value": "PH", "label": "Philippines", "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" } }, { "value": "TR", "label": "Türkiye", "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" } }, { "value": "VN", "label": "Viet Nam", "rsf": null } ], "continent": [ { "value": "asia", "label": "Asia" } ], "tactic": [ { "value": "detention_and_violence", "label": "Detention and violence", "count": 6 }, { "value": "insult_and_defamation_laws", "label": "Insult and defamation laws", "count": 4 }, { "value": "outlet_licensing", "label": "Licensing and closure of outlets", "count": 4 }, { "value": "credential_control", "label": "Credential control", "count": 4 }, { "value": "lawsuits_against_press", "label": "Lawsuits against the press", "count": 3 }, { "value": "expulsion_and_visa_denial", "label": "Expulsion and visa denial", "count": 3 }, { "value": "disinformation_labeling", "label": "Official labels", "count": 3 }, { "value": "secrets_and_espionage_laws", "label": "Secrets and espionage laws", "count": 3 }, { "value": "prior_restraint", "label": "Prior restraint", "count": 3 }, { "value": "access_ban", "label": "Access bans", "count": 2 }, { "value": "surveillance_and_subpoenas", "label": "Surveillance and subpoenas", "count": 2 }, { "value": "shutdowns_and_blocking", "label": "Shutdowns and blocking", "count": 2 }, { "value": "funding_and_ownership_pressure", "label": "Funding and ownership pressure", "count": 1 } ], "stage": [ { "value": "restrict", "label": "Restrict", "count": 1 }, { "value": "pressure", "label": "Pressure", "count": 6 }, { "value": "punish", "label": "Punish", "count": 13 }, { "value": "silence", "label": "Silence", "count": 5 }, { "value": "eliminate", "label": "Eliminate", "count": 4 } ], "level": [ { "value": "national", "label": "National", "count": 29 } ], "outcome": [ { "value": "ongoing", "label": "Ongoing", "count": 11 }, { "value": "sustained", "label": "Sustained", "count": 11 }, { "value": "unknown", "label": "Unknown", "count": 4 }, { "value": "reversed", "label": "Reversed", "count": 2 }, { "value": "upheld", "label": "Upheld by a court", "count": 1 } ], "leader": [ { "value": "carrie-lam", "label": "Carrie Lam" }, { "value": "ebrahim-raisi", "label": "Ebrahim Raisi" }, { "value": "hun-sen", "label": "Hun Sen" }, { "value": "irakli-kobakhidze", "label": "Irakli Kobakhidze" }, { "value": "john-lee", "label": "John Lee" }, { "value": "kassym-jomart-tokayev", "label": "Kassym-Jomart Tokayev" }, { "value": "min-aung-hlaing", "label": "Min Aung Hlaing" }, { "value": "muhammad-yunus", "label": "Muhammad Yunus" }, { "value": "narendra-modi", "label": "Narendra Modi" }, { "value": "nguyen-xuan-phuc", "label": "Nguyen Xuan Phuc" }, { "value": "recep-tayyip-erdogan", "label": "Recep Tayyip Erdoğan" }, { "value": "rodrigo-duterte", "label": "Rodrigo Duterte" }, { "value": "shehbaz-sharif", "label": "Shehbaz Sharif" }, { "value": "xi-jinping", "label": "Xi Jinping" } ], "era": [ { "value": "2020s", "label": "2020s", "count": 29 } ], "year": [ { "value": "2020", "label": "2020", "count": 5 }, { "value": "2021", "label": "2021", "count": 5 }, { "value": "2022", "label": "2022", "count": 2 }, { "value": "2023", "label": "2023", "count": 5 }, { "value": "2024", "label": "2024", "count": 6 }, { "value": "2025", "label": "2025", "count": 3 }, { "value": "2026", "label": "2026", "count": 3 } ], "has_case": [ { "value": "0", "label": "without a court case", "count": 29 } ] }, "results": [ { "slug": "2026-kazakhstan-copyright-claims-against-press", "title": "Kazakhstan: fabricated copyright complaints used against journalists", "occurred_on": "2026-08-20", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "country": "KZ", "country_name": "Kazakhstan", "continent": "asia", "jurisdiction": "KZ", "level": "national", "tactic_primary": "lawsuits_against_press", "tactics": [ "lawsuits_against_press" ], "leader_slug": "kassym-jomart-tokayev", "leader_name": "Kassym-Jomart Tokayev", "issue_of_the_day": "Not stated in the sources reviewed.", "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.", "stage": "pressure", "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.", "rsf": null, "era": "2020s", "granularity": "granular", "status": "in_effect", "case_count": 0, "summary": "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.", "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2026-kazakhstan-copyright-claims-against-press" }, { "slug": "2026-india-journalist-sentenced-adani-defamation", "title": "India: one-year prison sentence for the journalist Ravi Nair in a criminal defamation case, February 2026", "occurred_on": "2026-02-10", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "country": "IN", "country_name": "India", "continent": "asia", "jurisdiction": "IN", "level": "national", "tactic_primary": "insult_and_defamation_laws", "tactics": [ "detention_and_violence", "insult_and_defamation_laws" ], "leader_slug": "narendra-modi", "leader_name": "Narendra Modi", "issue_of_the_day": null, "outcome": "unknown", "outcome_on": "2026-02-10", "outcome_note": "Sentenced on 2026-02-10; no appeal or ruling on appeal appears in the sources cited.", "stage": "punish", "ladder_note": null, "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 157, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 157th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "era": "2020s", "granularity": "granular", "status": "in_effect", "case_count": 0, "summary": "On February 10, 2026, a court in India sentenced the investigative journalist Ravi Nair to one year in prison and a fine of 5,000 rupees (about US$55) for criminal defamation, an offence under which a statement that damages someone's reputation can lead to a fine or prison sentence. The case concerned posts on the platform X between October 2020 and July 2021 and articles on Adani Watch, an Australian non-profit investigative site, that criticized the Adani Group, an Indian conglomerate. CIVICUS Monitor, which tracks civic freedoms by country, recorded the sentence among arrests, detentions and police summonses of Indian journalists in the same period.", "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2026-india-journalist-sentenced-adani-defamation" }, { "slug": "2026-israel-maintains-ban-on-foreign-press-access-to-gaza", "title": "Israel: ban on independent entry of foreign journalists into the Gaza Strip, 2023 to 2026", "occurred_on": "2026-01-07", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "country": "IL", "country_name": "Israel", "continent": "asia", "jurisdiction": "IL", "level": "national", "tactic_primary": "access_ban", "tactics": [ "access_ban", "expulsion_and_visa_denial" ], "leader_slug": null, "leader_name": null, "issue_of_the_day": "The war in Gaza, which began in October 2023.", "outcome": "sustained", "outcome_on": "2026-02-25", "outcome_note": "In effect as of CPJ's report of 2026-02-25; the government asked Israel's Supreme Court in January 2026 to keep the ban.", "stage": "restrict", "ladder_note": null, "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 116, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 116th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "era": "2020s", "granularity": "granular", "status": "in_effect", "case_count": 0, "summary": "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 military. On January 7, 2026, Al Jazeera reported that the Foreign Press Association, which represents journalists from international news organizations, had condemned the government's decision to keep the ban. The government had told Israel's Supreme Court that the ban should be maintained due to \"security reasons,\" according to Al Jazeera. On February 25, 2026, the Committee to Protect Journalists reported that the ban was still in place.", "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2026-israel-maintains-ban-on-foreign-press-access-to-gaza" }, { "slug": "2025-turkiye-detains-and-deports-journalists-covering-protests", "title": "Türkiye: detention, injury and deportation of journalists covering protests, March 2025", "occurred_on": "2025-03-19", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "country": "TR", "country_name": "Türkiye", "continent": "asia", "jurisdiction": "TR", "level": "national", "tactic_primary": "detention_and_violence", "tactics": [ "detention_and_violence", "expulsion_and_visa_denial" ], "leader_slug": "recep-tayyip-erdogan", "leader_name": "Recep Tayyip Erdoğan", "issue_of_the_day": "The detention of the mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem İmamoğlu, on March 19, 2025, and the protests that followed.", "outcome": "unknown", "outcome_on": "2025-04-02", "outcome_note": "CPJ's report of 2025-04-02 describes the restrictions as continuing; the outcomes for individual journalists are not recorded.", "stage": "punish", "ladder_note": null, "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" }, "era": "2020s", "granularity": "granular", "status": "in_effect", "case_count": 0, "summary": "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. From March 21 to 23, 2025, at least 14 journalists were injured after being beaten or shot with rubber bullets by Istanbul police, and on March 27 police detained the BBC correspondent Mark Lowen and deported him. CPJ said on April 2, 2025 that the authorities \"have since arrested thousands of protesters and have moved aggressively to tamp down media coverage.\"", "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2025-turkiye-detains-and-deports-journalists-covering-protests" }, { "slug": "2025-bangladesh-journalists-attacked-interim-government", "title": "Journalists beaten in Bangladesh in separate incidents as interim government drafts new cyber laws", "occurred_on": "2025-02-03", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "country": "BD", "country_name": "Bangladesh", "continent": "asia", "jurisdiction": "BD", "level": "national", "tactic_primary": "detention_and_violence", "tactics": [ "detention_and_violence", "surveillance_and_subpoenas" ], "leader_slug": "muhammad-yunus", "leader_name": "Muhammad Yunus", "issue_of_the_day": "The incidents occurred six months into the interim government that took power after Sheikh Hasina's government fell in August 2024, a period in which press-freedom groups said journalists faced both continued street violence and new draft cyber-security legislation.", "outcome": "ongoing", "outcome_on": null, "outcome_note": "No arrests were reported in the incidents described, and the proposed cyber ordinances remained under review.", "stage": "punish", "ladder_note": null, "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 152, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 152nd of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "era": "2020s", "granularity": "granular", "status": "in_effect", "case_count": 0, "summary": "On a single day in February 2025, groups of men beat at least eight journalists in two separate incidents in rural Bangladesh while they investigated a medical-negligence tip and a land dispute; the incidents came as the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus drafted new cyber ordinances rights groups said could add legal risk on top of the physical one.", "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2025-bangladesh-journalists-attacked-interim-government" }, { "slug": "2025-pakistan-amends-peca-cybercrime-law", "title": "Pakistan amends cybercrime law to create new agency policing 'fake' online content", "occurred_on": "2025-01-29", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "country": "PK", "country_name": "Pakistan", "continent": "asia", "jurisdiction": "PK", "level": "national", "tactic_primary": "disinformation_labeling", "tactics": [ "disinformation_labeling", "outlet_licensing" ], "leader_slug": "shehbaz-sharif", "leader_name": "Shehbaz Sharif", "issue_of_the_day": "The government said the amendment was needed to curb online disinformation, but journalists said the new offense's vague wording, covering content merely believed likely to cause \"fear, panic, disorder or unrest,\" gave authorities broad discretion over ordinary reporting.", "outcome": "sustained", "outcome_on": null, "outcome_note": "The amendment remained law despite nationwide journalist protests and a Human Rights Watch call for its repeal.", "stage": "punish", "ladder_note": null, "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 153, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 153rd of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "era": "2020s", "granularity": "granular", "status": "in_effect", "case_count": 0, "summary": "Pakistan's parliament amended the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act to create a new Social Media Protection and Regulatory Authority with power to block online content and a Social Media Protection Tribunal, and made spreading information deemed 'fake or false' punishable by up to three years in prison, prompting nationwide journalist protests.", "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2025-pakistan-amends-peca-cybercrime-law" }, { "slug": "2024-china-dong-yuyu-espionage-sentence", "title": "China: editor Dong Yuyu is sentenced to seven years for espionage over meals with a diplomat", "occurred_on": "2024-11-01", "occurred_on_precision": "month", "country": "CN", "country_name": "China", "continent": "asia", "jurisdiction": "CN", "level": "national", "tactic_primary": "secrets_and_espionage_laws", "tactics": [ "secrets_and_espionage_laws" ], "leader_slug": "xi-jinping", "leader_name": "Xi Jinping", "issue_of_the_day": "Dong had worked at Guangming Daily, a state-run Chinese newspaper, since 1987 and was known for commentary that engaged with foreign diplomats and officials as part of his beat.", "outcome": "ongoing", "outcome_on": "2024-11-01", "outcome_note": "Dong's appeal remained pending before the Beijing High Court as of the September 2025 report reviewed, with its deadline repeatedly extended.", "stage": "eliminate", "ladder_note": "A veteran editor received a seven-year espionage sentence for meeting a foreign diplomat over lunch, a routine journalistic contact rather than any published disclosure.", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 178, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 178th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "era": "2020s", "granularity": "granular", "status": "in_effect", "case_count": 0, "summary": "A Chinese court sentenced Guangming Daily editor and columnist Dong Yuyu to seven years in prison for espionage after his 2022 arrest while having lunch with a Japanese diplomat, a case his son called purely political.", "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2024-china-dong-yuyu-espionage-sentence" }, { "slug": "2024-hong-kong-stand-news-editors-convicted-sedition", "title": "Hong Kong court convicts Stand News editors of sedition", "occurred_on": "2024-08-29", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "country": "HK", "country_name": "Hong Kong", "continent": "asia", "jurisdiction": "HK", "level": "national", "tactic_primary": "insult_and_defamation_laws", "tactics": [ "insult_and_defamation_laws" ], "leader_slug": "john-lee", "leader_name": "John Lee", "issue_of_the_day": "The prosecution centered on opinion pieces and interviews Stand News had published examining Hong Kong's 2019 protests and the 2020 National Security Law, coverage prosecutors said smeared the security law and law enforcement.", "outcome": "upheld", "outcome_on": "2024-09-26", "outcome_note": "Both editors were sentenced in September 2024; no reversal of the convictions was reported.", "stage": "punish", "ladder_note": null, "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 140, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 140th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "era": "2020s", "granularity": "granular", "status": "in_effect", "case_count": 0, "summary": "A Hong Kong court convicted former Stand News editors Chung Pui-kuen and Patrick Lam of conspiring to publish seditious material, under a colonial-era law, over articles the outlet had run before police raided its newsroom and it closed at the end of 2021.", "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2024-hong-kong-stand-news-editors-convicted-sedition" }, { "slug": "2024-kazakhstan-restrictive-media-accreditation-rules", "title": "Kazakhstan: new accreditation rules let officials withdraw a journalist's pass for off-topic questions", "occurred_on": "2024-08-20", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "country": "KZ", "country_name": "Kazakhstan", "continent": "asia", "jurisdiction": "KZ", "level": "national", "tactic_primary": "credential_control", "tactics": [ "credential_control" ], "leader_slug": "kassym-jomart-tokayev", "leader_name": "Kassym-Jomart Tokayev", "issue_of_the_day": "The rules followed a period of monthslong accreditation denials against journalists with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's Kazakh service, Radio Azattyq, and escalating administrative charges against them for allegedly spreading false information.", "outcome": "ongoing", "outcome_on": "2024-09-03", "outcome_note": "The domestic accreditation rule had taken effect and the foreign media rule remained proposed, with officials not responding to requests for comment.", "stage": "punish", "ladder_note": "A government rule lets officials withdraw a journalist's accreditation for the content of the questions asked, not only for building or event access.", "rsf": null, "era": "2020s", "granularity": "granular", "status": "in_effect", "case_count": 0, "summary": "Kazakhstan's government adopted rules allowing journalists' accreditation to be withdrawn for six months over conduct at a news event, including asking off-topic questions, while proposing separate rules letting the foreign ministry deny foreign media accreditation over any violation of Kazakh law.", "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2024-kazakhstan-restrictive-media-accreditation-rules" }, { "slug": "2024-georgia-foreign-influence-law", "title": "Georgia enacts 'foreign influence' law requiring media to register as foreign-backed", "occurred_on": "2024-05-28", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "country": "GE", "country_name": "Georgia", "continent": "asia", "jurisdiction": "GE", "level": "national", "tactic_primary": "disinformation_labeling", "tactics": [ "disinformation_labeling", "funding_and_ownership_pressure" ], "leader_slug": "irakli-kobakhidze", "leader_name": "Irakli Kobakhidze", "issue_of_the_day": "The governing Georgian Dream party framed the law as protecting Georgian sovereignty against foreign-funded groups it accused of trying to organize unrest, at a time when the party also faced growing opposition ahead of Georgia's 2024 parliamentary election.", "outcome": "sustained", "outcome_on": null, "outcome_note": "The law took effect despite mass protests and international criticism; the governing party did not withdraw it.", "stage": "pressure", "ladder_note": null, "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 135, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 135th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "era": "2020s", "granularity": "granular", "status": "in_effect", "case_count": 0, "summary": "Georgia's parliament passed a law requiring media and civil-society groups that receive 20 percent or more of their funding from abroad to register as organizations \"serving the interests of a foreign power,\" over mass street protests and international criticism that the label would be used to marginalize independent outlets.", "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2024-georgia-foreign-influence-law" }, { "slug": "2024-india-court-strikes-down-fact-check-unit", "title": "Bombay High Court strikes down India's government 'fact check unit' rule", "occurred_on": "2024-03-01", "occurred_on_precision": "month", "country": "IN", "country_name": "India", "continent": "asia", "jurisdiction": "IN", "level": "national", "tactic_primary": "disinformation_labeling", "tactics": [ "disinformation_labeling", "prior_restraint" ], "leader_slug": "narendra-modi", "leader_name": "Narendra Modi", "issue_of_the_day": "The government said the Fact Check Unit was needed to combat misinformation about its own policies and announcements online, at a time when it separately faced criticism over content restrictions ahead of India's 2024 general election.", "outcome": "reversed", "outcome_on": "2024-09-20", "outcome_note": "The Bombay High Court struck down the rule, finding its key terms 'vague and overbroad,' after the Supreme Court had already stayed its operation.", "stage": "pressure", "ladder_note": null, "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 157, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 157th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "era": "2020s", "granularity": "granular", "status": "reversed", "case_count": 0, "summary": "India's 2023 amendment to its Information Technology Rules empowered a government-run Fact Check Unit to label online content about the central government 'fake' or 'false' and require its removal; comedian Kunal Kamra and media groups challenged it, and the Bombay High Court struck the rule down as unconstitutionally vague.", "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2024-india-court-strikes-down-fact-check-unit" }, { "slug": "2024-iran-hamedi-mohammadi-sentenced", "title": "Iran: journalists Niloofar Hamedi and Elahe Mohammadi are sentenced to 13 and 12 years", "occurred_on": "2024-01-17", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "country": "IR", "country_name": "Iran", "continent": "asia", "jurisdiction": "IR", "level": "national", "tactic_primary": "secrets_and_espionage_laws", "tactics": [ "secrets_and_espionage_laws" ], "leader_slug": "ebrahim-raisi", "leader_name": "Ebrahim Raisi", "issue_of_the_day": "Hamedi and Mohammadi had reported on the September 2022 death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who died after being held by Iran's morality police for allegedly violating the country's mandatory dress code, reporting that helped ignite months of nationwide protests.", "outcome": "ongoing", "outcome_on": "2024-01-17", "outcome_note": "The two journalists were released on bail of about 200,000 dollars in January 2024 but remained banned from leaving the country.", "stage": "eliminate", "ladder_note": "Two journalists received sentences of 12 and 13 years for reporting a death in state custody, far beyond a license, credential or access restriction.", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 177, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 177th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "era": "2020s", "granularity": "granular", "status": "in_effect", "case_count": 0, "summary": "Iranian journalists Niloofar Hamedi and Elahe Mohammadi, who broke the story of Mahsa Amini's death in police custody, were sentenced to 13 and 12 years respectively on national-security-linked charges tied to their reporting, and later released on heavy bail.", "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2024-iran-hamedi-mohammadi-sentenced" }, { "slug": "2023-turkiye-detains-journalists-disinformation-law", "title": "Turkish authorities detain three journalists under 'disinformation' law", "occurred_on": "2023-11-01", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "country": "TR", "country_name": "Türkiye", "continent": "asia", "jurisdiction": "TR", "level": "national", "tactic_primary": "insult_and_defamation_laws", "tactics": [ "detention_and_violence", "insult_and_defamation_laws" ], "leader_slug": "recep-tayyip-erdogan", "leader_name": "Recep Tayyip Erdoğan", "issue_of_the_day": "Sardan had written about an alleged Turkish intelligence report on judicial corruption, which the government's Center for Combating Disinformation denied existed; Halk TV's Dincer Gokce had reported on people released from prison who were later linked to further crimes.", "outcome": "ongoing", "outcome_on": null, "outcome_note": "Two of the three journalists were released within a day; Tolga Sardan remained jailed pending trial.", "stage": "punish", "ladder_note": null, "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" }, "era": "2020s", "granularity": "granular", "status": "in_effect", "case_count": 0, "summary": "Turkish authorities detained three journalists, jailing columnist Tolga Sardan pending trial, under a 2022 law criminalizing the spread of disinformation, after the government's own disinformation-fighting body disputed their reporting on a leaked intelligence document and a story about released prisoners.", "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2023-turkiye-detains-journalists-disinformation-law" }, { "slug": "2023-india-blocks-gaon-savera-accounts", "title": "India: Gaon Savera's Facebook and X accounts blocked", "occurred_on": "2023-08-21", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "country": "IN", "country_name": "India", "continent": "asia", "jurisdiction": "IN", "level": "national", "tactic_primary": "shutdowns_and_blocking", "tactics": [ "shutdowns_and_blocking" ], "leader_slug": "narendra-modi", "leader_name": "Narendra Modi", "issue_of_the_day": "Not stated in the sources reviewed.", "outcome": "unknown", "outcome_on": null, "outcome_note": "CPJ called on India to restore access; the source reviewed does not report whether the accounts were later unblocked.", "stage": "silence", "ladder_note": "India blocked an independent outlet's Facebook and X accounts nationwide ahead of an event it planned to cover, without a stated reason; the White House ban limited three outlets' building access, not their reach online.", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 157, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 157th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "era": "2020s", "granularity": "granular", "status": "in_effect", "case_count": 0, "summary": "India blocked independent news outlet Gaon Savera's Facebook page and X account nationwide just before a workers' convention it planned to cover, without a public explanation from the government.", "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2023-india-blocks-gaon-savera-accounts" }, { "slug": "2023-turkiye-rtuk-fines-earthquake-coverage", "title": "Turkiye: the broadcast regulator fines and suspends channels for earthquake coverage", "occurred_on": "2023-02-22", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "country": "TR", "country_name": "Türkiye", "continent": "asia", "jurisdiction": "TR", "level": "national", "tactic_primary": "prior_restraint", "tactics": [ "prior_restraint" ], "leader_slug": "recep-tayyip-erdogan", "leader_name": "Recep Tayyip Erdoğan", "issue_of_the_day": "Earthquakes in southern Turkiye in early February 2023 killed more than 50,000 people and drew widespread criticism of the government's building codes and disaster response.", "outcome": "sustained", "outcome_on": "2023-02-22", "outcome_note": "CPJ called for the penalties to be revoked; the source reviewed does not report that RTUK did so.", "stage": "pressure", "ladder_note": "A national regulator barred two programs from airing at all for five future episodes over their earthquake coverage, a forward restriction rather than a single broadcast ban.", "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" }, "era": "2020s", "granularity": "granular", "status": "in_effect", "case_count": 0, "summary": "Turkiye's broadcast regulator, RTUK, fined three television channels and suspended the next five episodes of two of their programs after they aired criticism of the government's response to the February 2023 earthquakes.", "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2023-turkiye-rtuk-fines-earthquake-coverage" }, { "slug": "2023-india-tax-authorities-raid-bbc-offices", "title": "Indian tax authorities search BBC offices weeks after Modi documentary ban", "occurred_on": "2023-02-14", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "country": "IN", "country_name": "India", "continent": "asia", "jurisdiction": "IN", "level": "national", "tactic_primary": "surveillance_and_subpoenas", "tactics": [ "prior_restraint", "surveillance_and_subpoenas" ], "leader_slug": "narendra-modi", "leader_name": "Narendra Modi", "issue_of_the_day": "The searches followed the government's ban, weeks earlier, of the BBC documentary 'India: The Modi Question,' which examined Modi's record as Gujarat's chief minister during 2002 riots that killed mostly Muslims.", "outcome": "unknown", "outcome_on": null, "outcome_note": "No penalty or further tax action against the BBC was reported; the broadcaster's India operations continued.", "stage": "pressure", "ladder_note": null, "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 157, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 157th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "era": "2020s", "granularity": "granular", "status": "in_effect", "case_count": 0, "summary": "India's Income Tax Department searched BBC offices in Delhi and Mumbai for alleged tax evasion, three weeks after the government used emergency powers to block a BBC documentary examining Prime Minister Narendra Modi's response to 2002 communal violence.", "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2023-india-tax-authorities-raid-bbc-offices" }, { "slug": "2023-cambodia-shutters-voice-of-democracy", "title": "Cambodia: Prime Minister Hun Sen orders Voice of Democracy's license revoked over one article", "occurred_on": "2023-02-13", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "country": "KH", "country_name": "Cambodia", "continent": "asia", "jurisdiction": "KH", "level": "national", "tactic_primary": "outlet_licensing", "tactics": [ "outlet_licensing" ], "leader_slug": "hun-sen", "leader_name": "Hun Sen", "issue_of_the_day": "The article, published February 8, 2023, reported that Hun Sen's son and eventual successor, Hun Manet, had overstepped his authority by signing a $100,000 earthquake aid agreement for Turkiye.", "outcome": "sustained", "outcome_on": "2023-02-13", "outcome_note": "The Ministry of Information revoked the license as Hun Sen ordered, with no reversal reported in the source reviewed.", "stage": "silence", "ladder_note": "The head of government personally ordered a national outlet's operating license revoked over one article, rejecting a published apology, rather than pursuing a defamation suit.", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 151, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 151st of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "era": "2020s", "granularity": "granular", "status": "in_effect", "case_count": 0, "summary": "Prime Minister Hun Sen personally ordered the license of independent outlet Voice of Democracy revoked over an article about an earthquake-aid agreement signed by his son, rejecting the outlet's published apology.", "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2023-cambodia-shutters-voice-of-democracy" }, { "slug": "2022-turkiye-sedef-kabas-insulting-president", "title": "Turkiye: journalist Sedef Kabas is arrested for a proverb about President Erdogan", "occurred_on": "2022-01-22", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "country": "TR", "country_name": "Türkiye", "continent": "asia", "jurisdiction": "TR", "level": "national", "tactic_primary": "insult_and_defamation_laws", "tactics": [ "insult_and_defamation_laws" ], "leader_slug": "recep-tayyip-erdogan", "leader_name": "Recep Tayyip Erdoğan", "issue_of_the_day": "Kabas made the comment during a political talk show discussion of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, after also questioning his university diploma and alleging corruption in earlier social media posts.", "outcome": "ongoing", "outcome_on": "2023-06-22", "outcome_note": "Kabas remained free pending appeal as of the sources reviewed, with a further trial on the same Article 299 charge continuing in mid-2023.", "stage": "punish", "ladder_note": "A journalist was jailed overnight and convicted under a criminal insult law for one televised remark about the head of state, with prosecution continuing over a year later.", "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" }, "era": "2020s", "granularity": "granular", "status": "in_effect", "case_count": 0, "summary": "Turkish journalist Sedef Kabas was arrested and later convicted under Article 299 of the penal code, which criminalizes insulting the president, after quoting a proverb about a palace becoming a stable during a televised discussion of Erdogan.", "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2022-turkiye-sedef-kabas-insulting-president" }, { "slug": "2022-turkiye-prosecutes-sedef-kabas", "title": "Turkiye: journalist Sedef Kabas tried for insulting the president", "occurred_on": "2022-01-14", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "country": "TR", "country_name": "Türkiye", "continent": "asia", "jurisdiction": "TR", "level": "national", "tactic_primary": "lawsuits_against_press", "tactics": [ "lawsuits_against_press" ], "leader_slug": "recep-tayyip-erdogan", "leader_name": "Recep Tayyip Erdoğan", "issue_of_the_day": "Not stated in the sources reviewed.", "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.", "stage": "punish", "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.", "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" }, "era": "2020s", "granularity": "granular", "status": "in_effect", "case_count": 0, "summary": "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.", "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2022-turkiye-prosecutes-sedef-kabas" }, { "slug": "2021-vietnam-pham-doan-trang-nine-year-sentence", "title": "Vietnam: journalist Pham Doan Trang is sentenced to nine years for anti-state \"propaganda\"", "occurred_on": "2021-12-14", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "country": "VN", "country_name": "Viet Nam", "continent": "asia", "jurisdiction": "VN", "level": "national", "tactic_primary": "secrets_and_espionage_laws", "tactics": [ "secrets_and_espionage_laws" ], "leader_slug": "nguyen-xuan-phuc", "leader_name": "Nguyen Xuan Phuc", "issue_of_the_day": "Trang had spent years writing and publishing independent reporting and commentary critical of the ruling Communist Party before her arrest, work for which she had already received international press freedom recognition.", "outcome": "sustained", "outcome_on": "2021-12-14", "outcome_note": "Trang's nine-year sentence stood as of the source reviewed, with no release reported in it.", "stage": "eliminate", "ladder_note": "An independent editor received a nine-year sentence under a national-security speech law for her journalism, not a licensing or credential dispute.", "rsf": null, "era": "2020s", "granularity": "granular", "status": "in_effect", "case_count": 0, "summary": "A Vietnamese court sentenced Pham Doan Trang, founding editor of the independent outlet The Vietnamese, to nine years in prison for distributing anti-state \"propaganda\" under a national-security provision of the country's penal code.", "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2021-vietnam-pham-doan-trang-nine-year-sentence" }, { "slug": "2021-hong-kong-apple-daily-forced-closure", "title": "China (Hong Kong): Apple Daily closes after its assets are frozen under the national security law", "occurred_on": "2021-06-24", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "country": "HK", "country_name": "Hong Kong", "continent": "asia", "jurisdiction": "HK", "level": "national", "tactic_primary": "outlet_licensing", "tactics": [ "outlet_licensing" ], "leader_slug": "carrie-lam", "leader_name": "Carrie Lam", "issue_of_the_day": "The closure followed Hong Kong's 2019 to 2020 pro-democracy protests and Beijing's imposition of a national security law on the territory in June 2020, which criminalized broadly defined acts of subversion and collusion with foreign forces.", "outcome": "sustained", "outcome_on": "2021-06-24", "outcome_note": "Apple Daily did not resume publication and its former executives faced additional charges as of the December 2021 report reviewed.", "stage": "silence", "ladder_note": "A newspaper's assets were frozen and its senior editors charged with offenses carrying up to life imprisonment, ending publication entirely rather than a licensing dispute or fine.", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 140, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 140th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "era": "2020s", "granularity": "granular", "status": "in_effect", "case_count": 0, "summary": "Apple Daily, Hong Kong's largest pro-democracy newspaper, printed its final edition after the government froze its parent company's assets and arrested its editors under the national security law imposed on the territory in 2020.", "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2021-hong-kong-apple-daily-forced-closure" }, { "slug": "2021-turkiye-press-card-controls-restrictive", "title": "Turkiye: the presidency's press card system is found restrictive by the country's top administrative court", "occurred_on": "2021-04-01", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "country": "TR", "country_name": "Türkiye", "continent": "asia", "jurisdiction": "TR", "level": "national", "tactic_primary": "credential_control", "tactics": [ "credential_control" ], "leader_slug": "recep-tayyip-erdogan", "leader_name": "Recep Tayyip Erdoğan", "issue_of_the_day": "The 2018 rules had let the presidency cancel press cards for vaguely worded reasons, including \"diminishing the dignity of the media profession,\" and had been used against journalists dismissed or reassigned after the 2016 coup attempt.", "outcome": "reversed", "outcome_on": "2021-04-01", "outcome_note": "Turkiye's Council of State suspended the challenged 2018 press card regulation, though the source reviewed reports hundreds of journalists still waiting for cards afterward.", "stage": "pressure", "ladder_note": "A national regulator controlled the credential every journalist needs to work and enter official buildings, denying or delaying cards for hundreds of reporters for years.", "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" }, "era": "2020s", "granularity": "granular", "status": "reversed", "case_count": 0, "summary": "Turkiye's Council of State suspended 2018 rules under which the presidency's Communications Directorate could deny or cancel the yellow and turquoise press cards that let reporters work and enter official buildings, after finding the grounds for denial too broad.", "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2021-turkiye-press-card-controls-restrictive" }, { "slug": "2021-myanmar-junta-revokes-media-licenses", "title": "Myanmar junta revokes five outlets' licenses and raids newsrooms after coup", "occurred_on": "2021-03-08", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "country": "MM", "country_name": "Myanmar", "continent": "asia", "jurisdiction": "MM", "level": "national", "tactic_primary": "outlet_licensing", "tactics": [ "detention_and_violence", "outlet_licensing" ], "leader_slug": "min-aung-hlaing", "leader_name": "Min Aung Hlaing", "issue_of_the_day": "The outlets had been covering nationwide protests against the military's February 1, 2021 seizure of power from Myanmar's elected government, coverage the junta sought to stop by removing the outlets' legal authorization to operate.", "outcome": "sustained", "outcome_on": null, "outcome_note": "The five outlets' licenses were not restored; CPJ counted at least 32 journalists still imprisoned as of July 2021.", "stage": "silence", "ladder_note": null, "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 166, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 166th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "era": "2020s", "granularity": "granular", "status": "in_effect", "case_count": 0, "summary": "Weeks after seizing power, Myanmar's military junta revoked the operating licenses of five independent media outlets covering protests against the coup and raided two of their newsrooms, seizing computers and files; journalists from the outlets were later arrested and charged under a broadened penal-code provision on spreading 'false news.'", "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2021-myanmar-junta-revokes-media-licenses" }, { "slug": "2021-myanmar-military-internet-shutdown", "title": "Myanmar: military cuts mobile internet after seizing power", "occurred_on": "2021-02-01", "occurred_on_precision": "month", "country": "MM", "country_name": "Myanmar", "continent": "asia", "jurisdiction": "MM", "level": "national", "tactic_primary": "shutdowns_and_blocking", "tactics": [ "shutdowns_and_blocking" ], "leader_slug": "min-aung-hlaing", "leader_name": "Min Aung Hlaing", "issue_of_the_day": "Not stated in the sources reviewed.", "outcome": "ongoing", "outcome_on": "2021-05-03", "outcome_note": "As of the May 2021 source, mobile data remained cut in parts of the country, including large areas of Rakhine State.", "stage": "silence", "ladder_note": "Myanmar's military cut mobile data nationwide after seizing power, leaving reporters in entire townships unable to file; United States funding and access actions have not shut off a region's communications.", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 166, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 166th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "era": "2020s", "granularity": "granular", "status": "in_effect", "case_count": 0, "summary": "After seizing power on February 1, 2021, Myanmar's military cut mobile data service nationwide, leaving reporters in rural townships and Rakhine State unable to send news and blocking large areas from outside communication for months.", "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2021-myanmar-military-internet-shutdown" }, { "slug": "2020-philippines-ressa-cyber-libel-conviction", "title": "Philippines: Maria Ressa convicted of cyber libel", "occurred_on": "2020-06-15", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "country": "PH", "country_name": "Philippines", "continent": "asia", "jurisdiction": "PH", "level": "national", "tactic_primary": "lawsuits_against_press", "tactics": [ "lawsuits_against_press" ], "leader_slug": "rodrigo-duterte", "leader_name": "Rodrigo Duterte", "issue_of_the_day": "Not stated in the sources reviewed.", "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.", "stage": "punish", "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.", "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" }, "era": "2020s", "granularity": "granular", "status": "in_effect", "case_count": 0, "summary": "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.", "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2020-philippines-ressa-cyber-libel-conviction" }, { "slug": "2020-china-arrests-zhang-zhan", "title": "China: citizen journalist Zhang Zhan imprisoned for Wuhan reporting", "occurred_on": "2020-05-14", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "country": "CN", "country_name": "China", "continent": "asia", "jurisdiction": "CN", "level": "national", "tactic_primary": "detention_and_violence", "tactics": [ "detention_and_violence" ], "leader_slug": "xi-jinping", "leader_name": "Xi Jinping", "issue_of_the_day": "Not stated in the sources reviewed.", "outcome": "ongoing", "outcome_on": null, "outcome_note": "Zhang completed her original four-year sentence and was released in 2024, but the sources reviewed report a second case against her the following year.", "stage": "eliminate", "ladder_note": "China imprisoned a citizen journalist for four years over her Wuhan reporting, then opened a second case against her after release; United States detention incidents in the record ended in release the same day.", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 178, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 178th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "era": "2020s", "granularity": "granular", "status": "in_effect", "case_count": 0, "summary": "China detained citizen journalist Zhang Zhan for posting independent video reports from Wuhan during the early COVID-19 outbreak, later convicting her of \"picking quarrels and provoking trouble\" and, after her release, detaining her again years later.", "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2020-china-arrests-zhang-zhan" }, { "slug": "2020-china-press-card-visa-restrictions-us-outlets", "title": "China: press credentials and visas withheld from correspondents at three American newspapers", "occurred_on": "2020-03-18", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "country": "CN", "country_name": "China", "continent": "asia", "jurisdiction": "CN", "level": "national", "tactic_primary": "credential_control", "tactics": [ "credential_control" ], "leader_slug": "xi-jinping", "leader_name": "Xi Jinping", "issue_of_the_day": "The findings covered a year in which China expelled dozens of foreign journalists amid tit-for-tat measures with the United States and additional restrictions tied to the coronavirus outbreak.", "outcome": "sustained", "outcome_on": "2021-03-03", "outcome_note": "The credential and visa denials were in force for the year covered by the survey, with no reversal reported in the source reviewed.", "stage": "punish", "ladder_note": "Credentials and visas needed to work at all were denied to correspondents at three named outlets on a national scale, on top of earlier individual expulsion orders.", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 178, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 178th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "era": "2020s", "granularity": "granular", "status": "in_effect", "case_count": 0, "summary": "A survey by the Foreign Correspondents' Club of China found the government refused new press credentials to journalists tied to American outlets and cancelled or refused visas for correspondents at the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Washington Post through 2020.", "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2020-china-press-card-visa-restrictions-us-outlets" }, { "slug": "2020-china-expels-us-newspaper-journalists", "title": "China expels American journalists from three major U.S. newspapers", "occurred_on": "2020-03-17", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "country": "CN", "country_name": "China", "continent": "asia", "jurisdiction": "CN", "level": "national", "tactic_primary": "expulsion_and_visa_denial", "tactics": [ "credential_control", "expulsion_and_visa_denial" ], "leader_slug": "xi-jinping", "leader_name": "Xi Jinping", "issue_of_the_day": "The expulsions followed a rapid exchange of measures: a Wall Street Journal opinion piece China objected to, the U.S. capping Chinese state-media staff, and China's decision to expel American reporters from three outlets in response, all unfolding as the coronavirus pandemic was spreading globally.", "outcome": "sustained", "outcome_on": null, "outcome_note": "The expelled journalists' press credentials were not restored; reciprocal media restrictions between the two countries continued for years afterward.", "stage": "punish", "ladder_note": null, "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 178, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 178th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "era": "2020s", "granularity": "granular", "status": "in_effect", "case_count": 0, "summary": "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 earlier expulsion of three Journal reporters over an opinion headline.", "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2020-china-expels-us-newspaper-journalists" }, { "slug": "2020-china-expels-three-wsj-journalists-headline", "title": "China: three Wall Street Journal correspondents expelled over an opinion headline", "occurred_on": "2020-02-19", "occurred_on_precision": "day", "country": "CN", "country_name": "China", "continent": "asia", "jurisdiction": "CN", "level": "national", "tactic_primary": "access_ban", "tactics": [ "access_ban" ], "leader_slug": "xi-jinping", "leader_name": "Xi Jinping", "issue_of_the_day": "The Wall Street Journal had published an opinion column on February 3, 2020, by an outside scholar, headlined \"China Is the Real Sick Man of Asia,\" about the economic effects of the coronavirus outbreak.", "outcome": "sustained", "outcome_on": "2020-02-19", "outcome_note": "The three journalists' press credentials were revoked and the expulsion carried out; no reversal is reported in the source reviewed.", "stage": "punish", "ladder_note": "Working correspondents were expelled from the country over content written by someone outside their newsroom, not barred from one building or event.", "rsf": { "index": "RSF World Press Freedom Index", "year": 2026, "rank": 178, "of": 180, "label": "RSF 2026 rank: 178th of 180", "source_url": "https://rsf.org/en/index" }, "era": "2020s", "granularity": "granular", "status": "in_effect", "case_count": 0, "summary": "China's foreign ministry expelled three Wall Street Journal correspondents and revoked their press credentials after an opinion column, unrelated to their own reporting, used a headline the ministry called offensive.", "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2020-china-expels-three-wsj-journalists-headline" } ], "other_results": [], "downloads": { "csv": "https://thewaronnews.com/search?continent=asia&from=2020&level=national&format=csv", "json": "https://thewaronnews.com/search.json?continent=asia&from=2020&level=national", "md": "https://thewaronnews.com/search.md?continent=asia&from=2020&level=national" }, "license": { "name": "CC BY 4.0", "url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" } }