The War On News

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

Search, stage: eliminate, 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
CountryBelarus, RSF 2026 rank: 165th of 180China, RSF 2026 rank: 178th of 180Guatemala, RSF 2026 rank: 128th of 180Hong Kong, RSF 2026 rank: 140th of 180Iran, RSF 2026 rank: 177th of 180Nicaragua, RSF 2026 rank: 168th of 180Russia, RSF 2026 rank: 172nd of 180Viet Nam
ContinentAsiaEuropeNorth America
TacticDetention and violence 5Secrets and espionage laws 5Insult and defamation laws 2Licensing and closure of outlets 1Official labels 1Expulsion and visa denial 1
StageEliminate 12
OutcomeOngoing 5Sustained 4Reversed 3
LevelNational 11State or province 1
Head of governmentAlejandro GiammatteiAlexander LukashenkoDaniel OrtegaEbrahim RaisiJohn LeeNguyen Xuan PhucVladimir PutinXi Jinping

12 incidents match this view.

TableCardsCSVJSONMarkdown
DateIncidentCountryTacticHead of governmentOutcome
15 December 2025China (Hong Kong): conviction and 20-year sentence of the media owner Jimmy Lai under the National Security Law, 2025 to 2026Hong Kong (RSF 2026 rank: 140th of 180)Detention and violenceJohn LeeSustained (8 February 2026)
November 2024China: editor Dong Yuyu is sentenced to seven years for espionage over meals with a diplomatChina (RSF 2026 rank: 178th of 180)Secrets and espionage lawsXi JinpingOngoing (1 November 2024)
17 January 2024Iran: journalists Niloofar Hamedi and Elahe Mohammadi are sentenced to 13 and 12 yearsIran (RSF 2026 rank: 177th of 180)Secrets and espionage lawsEbrahim RaisiOngoing (17 January 2024)
14 June 2023Guatemala convicts investigative journalist Jose Ruben Zamora on money-laundering chargeGuatemala (RSF 2026 rank: 128th of 180)Detention and violenceAlejandro GiammatteiOngoing
29 March 2023Russia: Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich sentenced to 16 yearsRussia (RSF 2026 rank: 172nd of 180)Detention and violenceVladimir PutinReversed (1 August 2024)
15 February 2023Russia: journalist Maria Ponomarenko is sentenced to six years for reporting on a Mariupol strikeRussia (RSF 2026 rank: 172nd of 180)Insult and defamation lawsVladimir PutinSustained (15 February 2023)
15 February 2023Nicaragua strips 94 political opponents, including journalists, of citizenshipNicaragua (RSF 2026 rank: 168th of 180)Expulsion and visa denialDaniel OrtegaSustained
8 February 2023Belarus: journalist Andrzej Poczobut sentenced to eight yearsBelarus (RSF 2026 rank: 165th of 180)Detention and violenceAlexander LukashenkoReversed (28 April 2026)
8 February 2023Belarus: journalist Andrzej Poczobut is sentenced to eight years for inciting hatredBelarus (RSF 2026 rank: 165th of 180)Insult and defamation lawsAlexander LukashenkoReversed (28 April 2026)
5 September 2022Russia: journalist Ivan Safronov is sentenced to 22 years for treasonRussia (RSF 2026 rank: 172nd of 180)Secrets and espionage lawsVladimir PutinOngoing (5 September 2022)
14 December 2021Vietnam: journalist Pham Doan Trang is sentenced to nine years for anti-state "propaganda"Viet Nam (RSF rank: not recorded)Secrets and espionage lawsNguyen Xuan PhucSustained (14 December 2021)
14 May 2020China: citizen journalist Zhang Zhan imprisoned for Wuhan reportingChina (RSF 2026 rank: 178th of 180)Detention and violenceXi JinpingOngoing
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