The War On News

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

Search: detention and violence, national level, outcome sustained

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 180Canada, RSF 2026 rank: 20th of 180Chile, RSF 2026 rank: 70th of 180Myanmar, RSF 2026 rank: 166th of 180South Africa, RSF 2026 rank: 21st of 180Tunisia, RSF 2026 rank: 137th of 180Türkiye, RSF 2026 rank: 163rd of 180United States, RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180Venezuela, RSF 2026 rank: 159th of 180
ContinentAfricaAsiaEuropeNorth AmericaSouth America
TacticDetention and violence 10Licensing and closure of outlets 4Shutdowns and blocking 3Insult and defamation laws 1Expulsion and visa denial 1Access bans 1Prior restraint 1
StageRestrict 1Punish 3Silence 6
OutcomeSustained 10
LevelNational 10
Head of governmentAlexander LukashenkoAugusto PinochetBalthazar Johannes VorsterGeorge H. W. BushKais SaiedMehmed VMin Aung HlaingNicolas MaduroWilliam Lyon Mackenzie King

10 incidents match this view.

TableCardsCSVJSONMarkdown
DateIncidentCountryTacticHead of governmentOutcome
16 January 2025Tunisia's cybercrime decree pushes jailed-journalist count to highest since 1992Tunisia (RSF 2026 rank: 137th of 180)Insult and defamation lawsKais SaiedSustained
28 July 2024Venezuela detains, expels and restricts journalists after disputed 2024 electionVenezuela (RSF 2026 rank: 159th of 180)Detention and violenceNicolas MaduroSustained
18 May 2021Belarus blocks Tut.by and arrests its editors as 'extremist'Belarus (RSF 2026 rank: 165th of 180)Shutdowns and blockingAlexander LukashenkoSustained
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
1997Belarus jails journalist Pavel Sheremet over his reporting for Russian television station ORTBelarus (RSF 2026 rank: 165th of 180)Detention and violenceAlexander LukashenkoSustained
17 January 1991United States military restricts reporters to escorted press pools during the Gulf WarUnited States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180)Access bansGeorge H. W. BushSustained (28 February 1991)
19 October 1977South Africa bans The World and Weekend World newspapers and detains editor Percy QobozaSouth Africa (RSF 2026 rank: 21st of 180)Licensing and closure of outletsBalthazar Johannes VorsterSustained (1 March 1978)
11 September 1973Chile's military government shuts opposition radio stations and newspapers after the 1973 coupChile (RSF 2026 rank: 70th of 180)Shutdowns and blockingAugusto PinochetSustained (1 March 1990)
3 September 1939Canada: War Measures Act regulations authorize review of hundreds of newspapers and ban political organizationsCanada (RSF 2026 rank: 20th of 180)Prior restraintWilliam Lyon Mackenzie KingSustained (31 December 1945)
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)
Download this view

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

CSVJSONMarkdown