The War On News

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

Search in Europe, stage: punish, 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
CountryBelarus, RSF 2026 rank: 165th of 180Germany, RSF 2026 rank: 14th of 180Hungary, RSF 2026 rank: 74th of 180Russia, RSF 2026 rank: 172nd of 180Serbia, RSF 2026 rank: 104th of 180United Kingdom, RSF 2026 rank: 18th of 180
ContinentEurope
TacticDetention and violence 5Insult and defamation laws 3Access bans 2Surveillance and subpoenas 2Expulsion and visa denial 1Shutdowns and blocking 1Funding and ownership pressure 1Prior restraint 1
StagePunish 12
OutcomeSustained 5Ongoing 2Unknown 2Reversed 2Upheld by a court 1
LevelNational 12
Head of governmentAleksandar VucicAlexander LukashenkoDavid CameronKonrad AdenauerMikhail GorbachevSlobodan MilosevicViktor OrbanVladimir Putin

12 incidents match this view.

TableCardsCSVJSONMarkdown
DateIncidentCountryTacticHead of governmentOutcome
5 September 2025Serbian police strike, detain and disarm journalists covering anti-government protestsSerbia (RSF 2026 rank: 104th of 180)Detention and violenceAleksandar VucicOngoing
16 June 2022Russia: entry bans, visa restrictions and bureau closures for foreign correspondentsRussia (RSF 2026 rank: 172nd of 180)Access bansVladimir PutinSustained (16 June 2022)
18 May 2022Russia: CBC/Radio-Canada bureau closed and journalists' visas cancelledRussia (RSF 2026 rank: 172nd of 180)Expulsion and visa denialVladimir PutinSustained (18 May 2022)
4 March 2022Russia criminalizes 'fake' reporting on the military, up to 15 years in prisonRussia (RSF 2026 rank: 172nd of 180)Insult and defamation lawsVladimir PutinSustained
July 2021Hungary: investigative journalist Szabolcs Panyi's phone is infected with Pegasus spywareHungary (RSF 2026 rank: 74th of 180)Surveillance and subpoenasViktor OrbanOngoing (1 July 2021)
29 August 2020Belarus: accreditation withdrawn from 17 journalists working for foreign outletsBelarus (RSF 2026 rank: 165th of 180)Access bansAlexander LukashenkoSustained (29 August 2020)
30 March 2020Hungary criminalizes false coronavirus information and grants Orban decree powersHungary (RSF 2026 rank: 74th of 180)Insult and defamation lawsViktor OrbanUnknown
18 August 2013United Kingdom detains journalist's partner under terrorism law and oversees destruction of Guardian hard drives holding Snowden filesUnited Kingdom (RSF 2026 rank: 18th of 180)Surveillance and subpoenasDavid CameronUpheld by a court (19 January 2016)
20 October 1998Serbia's Public Information Act lets courts fine independent newspapers into financial dangerSerbia (RSF 2026 rank: 104th of 180)Insult and defamation lawsSlobodan MilosevicReversed (1 October 2000)
1997Belarus jails journalist Pavel Sheremet over his reporting for Russian television station ORTBelarus (RSF 2026 rank: 165th of 180)Detention and violenceAlexander LukashenkoSustained
30 August 1986Soviet Union: arrest and seven-week detention of American correspondent Nicholas Daniloff in Moscow, 1986Russia (RSF 2026 rank: 172nd of 180)Detention and violenceMikhail GorbachevReversed (29 September 1986)
26 October 1962West Germany: police raid Der Spiegel's offices and arrest its editors over a defense articleGermany (RSF 2026 rank: 14th of 180)Detention and violenceKonrad AdenauerUnknown
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