The War On News

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

Search: secrets and espionage laws, 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
CountryChina, RSF 2026 rank: 178th of 180Hong Kong, RSF 2026 rank: 140th of 180Iran, RSF 2026 rank: 177th of 180Russia, RSF 2026 rank: 172nd of 180Viet NamZimbabwe, RSF 2026 rank: 124th of 180
ContinentAfricaAsiaEurope
TacticSecrets and espionage laws 6Detention and violence 1Licensing and closure of outlets 1Insult and defamation laws 1
StagePunish 1Eliminate 5
OutcomeSustained 3Ongoing 3
LevelNational 5State or province 1
Head of governmentEbrahim RaisiEmmerson MnangagwaJohn LeeNguyen Xuan PhucVladimir PutinXi Jinping

6 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 July 2023Zimbabwe's Patriotic Act criminalizes journalists' contact with foreign governmentsZimbabwe (RSF 2026 rank: 124th of 180)Secrets and espionage lawsEmmerson MnangagwaSustained (14 July 2023)
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)
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