The War On News

How governments have limited journalists, 1900 to today.

Search in Asia

26 incidents match this view.

DateIncidentCountryTacticHead of governmentOutcome
February 10, 2026India: one-year prison sentence for the journalist Ravi Nair in a criminal defamation case, February 2026IndiaInsult and defamation lawsNarendra ModiUnknown (February 10, 2026)
January 7, 2026Israel: ban on independent entry of foreign journalists into the Gaza Strip, 2023 to 2026IsraelAccess bansSustained (February 25, 2026)
December 15, 2025China (Hong Kong): conviction and 20-year sentence of the media owner Jimmy Lai under the National Security Law, 2025 to 2026Hong KongDetention and violenceJohn LeeSustained (February 8, 2026)
March 19, 2025Türkiye: detention, injury and deportation of journalists covering protests, March 2025TürkiyeDetention and violenceRecep Tayyip ErdoğanUnknown (April 2, 2025)
February 3, 2025Journalists beaten in Bangladesh in separate incidents as interim government drafts new cyber lawsBangladeshDetention and violenceMuhammad YunusOngoing
January 29, 2025Pakistan amends cybercrime law to create new agency policing 'fake' online contentPakistanOfficial labelsShehbaz SharifSustained
August 29, 2024Hong Kong court convicts Stand News editors of seditionHong KongInsult and defamation lawsJohn LeeUpheld by a court (September 26, 2024)
May 28, 2024Georgia enacts 'foreign influence' law requiring media to register as foreign-backedGeorgiaOfficial labelsIrakli KobakhidzeSustained
March 2024Bombay High Court strikes down India's government 'fact check unit' ruleIndiaOfficial labelsNarendra ModiReversed (September 20, 2024)
November 1, 2023Turkish authorities detain three journalists under 'disinformation' lawTürkiyeInsult and defamation lawsRecep Tayyip ErdoğanOngoing
February 14, 2023Indian tax authorities search BBC offices weeks after Modi documentary banIndiaSurveillance and subpoenasNarendra ModiUnknown
March 8, 2021Myanmar junta revokes five outlets' licenses and raids newsrooms after coupMyanmarLicensing and closure of outletsMin Aung HlaingSustained
March 17, 2020China expels American journalists from three major U.S. newspapersChinaExpulsion and visa denialXi JinpingSustained
August 5, 2019India imposes a communications blackout in Jammu and Kashmir after revoking the region's special statusIndiaShutdowns and blockingNarendra ModiOngoing (August 5, 2020)
October 2, 2018Saudi Arabia's government kills journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside its Istanbul consulateSaudi ArabiaDetention and violenceSalman bin Abdulaziz Al SaudUnknown
September 3, 2018Myanmar sentences two Reuters journalists to seven years under the Official Secrets Act for reporting on a massacreMyanmarSecrets and espionage lawsAung San Suu KyiReversed (May 7, 2019)
September 4, 2017Cambodia's government forces the closure of The Cambodia Daily with a disputed multimillion-dollar tax billCambodiaLicensing and closure of outletsHun SenSustained (September 4, 2017)
July 27, 2016Turkey closes more than 100 media outlets by decree after a failed coup attemptTürkiyeLicensing and closure of outletsRecep Tayyip ErdoğanSustained (December 31, 2016)
June 21, 2009Iran expels a BBC correspondent and restricts foreign journalists after a disputed 2009 electionIranExpulsion and visa denialMahmoud AhmadinejadUnknown
September 20, 1998Malaysia pressures domestic media and monitors foreign correspondents after arresting former deputy premier Anwar IbrahimMalaysiaSurveillance and subpoenasMahathir MohamadUnknown
June 14, 1989China expels foreign journalists and restricts coverage of the Tiananmen Square protestsChinaExpulsion and visa denialLi PengSustained (January 1, 1990)
September 18, 1988Burma's new military government tightens pre-publication press controls after seizing powerMyanmarPrior restraintSaw MaungOngoing (January 1, 1989)
July 31, 1980South Korea's martial-law government purges journalists who resisted press controlsSouth KoreaLicensing and closure of outletsChun Doo-hwanReversed (June 1, 1987)
June 26, 1975India imposes pre-press controls on every newspaper during the 1975 EmergencyIndiaPrior restraintIndira GandhiReversed (March 21, 1977)
September 21, 1972Philippines President Marcos closes every major news outlet under martial lawPhilippinesShutdowns and blockingFerdinand MarcosReversed (February 25, 1986)
1948Israel retains a British-era law giving the military the power to review and restrict the pressIsraelPrior restraintDavid Ben-GurionOngoing (January 1, 1989)
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