The War On News

A record of government actions against journalism and fact-based reporting, 1900 to today

Search: insult and defamation laws in Asia, from 2020

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

All filters: country, dates, head of government, sort
CountryHong Kong, RSF 2026 rank: 140th of 180India, RSF 2026 rank: 157th of 180Türkiye, RSF 2026 rank: 163rd of 180
ContinentAsia
TacticInsult and defamation laws 4Detention and violence 2
StagePunish 4
OutcomeOngoing 2Unknown 1Upheld by a court 1
LevelNational 4
Head of governmentJohn LeeNarendra ModiRecep Tayyip Erdoğan

4 incidents match this view.

TableCardsCSVJSONMarkdown
DateIncidentCountryTacticHead of governmentOutcome
10 February 2026India: one-year prison sentence for the journalist Ravi Nair in a criminal defamation case, February 2026India (RSF 2026 rank: 157th of 180)Insult and defamation lawsNarendra ModiUnknown (10 February 2026)
29 August 2024Hong Kong court convicts Stand News editors of seditionHong Kong (RSF 2026 rank: 140th of 180)Insult and defamation lawsJohn LeeUpheld by a court (26 September 2024)
1 November 2023Turkish authorities detain three journalists under 'disinformation' lawTürkiye (RSF 2026 rank: 163rd of 180)Insult and defamation lawsRecep Tayyip ErdoğanOngoing
22 January 2022Turkiye: journalist Sedef Kabas is arrested for a proverb about President ErdoganTürkiye (RSF 2026 rank: 163rd of 180)Insult and defamation lawsRecep Tayyip ErdoğanOngoing (22 June 2023)
Download this view

CSV, JSON or Markdown. CC BY 4.0; credit "The War On News, thewaronnews.com".

CSVJSONMarkdown