# Insult and defamation laws

Laws that make it a crime, not only a civil wrong, to damage a person's reputation, to insult a head of state or a monarch (known as lèse-majesté), or to publish information that a government declares false, including laws against "fake news". Convictions can bring fines or prison.

1 recorded incident in 1 country; the earliest in the record is dated February 10, 2026.

## Incidents by country and year

### India (1)

| Date | Incident | Head of government | Outcome |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| February 10, 2026 | [India: one-year prison sentence for the journalist Ravi Nair in a criminal defamation case, February 2026](https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2026-india-journalist-sentenced-adani-defamation) | [Narendra Modi](https://thewaronnews.com/leaders/narendra-modi) | Unknown (February 10, 2026) |

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