The War On News

A record of government actions against journalism and fact-based reporting, from the first press laws to today

Search: licensing and closure of outlets in Asia, national level

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
CountryCambodia, RSF 2026 rank: 151st of 180Hong Kong, RSF 2026 rank: 140th of 180India, RSF 2026 rank: 157th of 180IndonesiaMalaysia, RSF 2026 rank: 95th of 180Myanmar, RSF 2026 rank: 166th of 180Pakistan, RSF 2026 rank: 153rd of 180South Korea, RSF 2026 rank: 47th of 180Türkiye, RSF 2026 rank: 163rd of 180
ContinentAsia
TacticLicensing and closure of outlets 11Detention and violence 3Official labels 1Funding and ownership pressure 1Prior restraint 1Secrets and espionage laws 1
StagePunish 1Silence 10
OutcomeSustained 9Reversed 2
LevelNational 11
Head of governmentAndries Cornelis Dirk de GraeffCarrie LamChun Doo-hwanHun SenIndira GandhiMahathir MohamadMehmed VMin Aung HlaingRecep Tayyip ErdoğanShehbaz Sharif

11 incidents match this view.

TableCardsCSVJSONMarkdown
DateIncidentCountryTacticHead of governmentOutcome
29 January 2025Pakistan amends cybercrime law to create new agency policing 'fake' online contentPakistan (RSF 2026 rank: 153rd of 180)Official labelsShehbaz SharifSustained
13 February 2023Cambodia: Prime Minister Hun Sen orders Voice of Democracy's license revoked over one articleCambodia (RSF 2026 rank: 151st of 180)Licensing and closure of outletsHun SenSustained (13 February 2023)
24 June 2021China (Hong Kong): Apple Daily closes after its assets are frozen under the national security lawHong Kong (RSF 2026 rank: 140th of 180)Licensing and closure of outletsCarrie LamSustained (24 June 2021)
8 March 2021Myanmar junta revokes five outlets' licenses and raids newsrooms after coupMyanmar (RSF 2026 rank: 166th of 180)Licensing and closure of outletsMin Aung HlaingSustained
4 September 2017Cambodia's government forces the closure of The Cambodia Daily with a disputed multimillion-dollar tax billCambodia (RSF 2026 rank: 151st of 180)Licensing and closure of outletsHun SenSustained (4 September 2017)
27 July 2016Turkey closes more than 100 media outlets by decree after a failed coup attemptTürkiye (RSF 2026 rank: 163rd of 180)Licensing and closure of outletsRecep Tayyip ErdoğanSustained (31 December 2016)
1987Malaysia: Printing Presses and Publications Act amended to bar court review of publishing permits, 1987Malaysia (RSF 2026 rank: 95th of 180)Licensing and closure of outletsMahathir MohamadSustained
31 July 1980South Korea's martial-law government purges journalists who resisted press controlsSouth Korea (RSF 2026 rank: 47th of 180)Licensing and closure of outletsChun Doo-hwanReversed (1 June 1987)
26 June 1975India imposes pre-press controls on every newspaper during the 1975 EmergencyIndia (RSF 2026 rank: 157th of 180)Prior restraintIndira GandhiReversed (21 March 1977)
1926Dutch East Indies: Colonial authorities end publication of the communist newspaper Mawa under Penal Code Article 153 bis, 1926Indonesia (RSF rank: not recorded)Licensing and closure of outletsAndries Cornelis Dirk de GraeffSustained (1 January 1926)
9 March 1913Ottoman Empire bars lawmakers and officials from editing newspapers and jails a leading editorTürkiye (RSF 2026 rank: 163rd of 180)Licensing and closure of outletsMehmed VSustained (9 March 1913)
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