Tactic
Secrets and espionage laws
Laws that make it a crime to obtain, keep or disclose information a government has classified as secret, such as the Espionage Act, a 1917 United States law against disclosing defence information, or the Official Secrets Acts of the United Kingdom. Governments use them to prosecute journalists or, more often, the officials who gave journalists information.
The earliest incident in the record using this tactic is dated 27 August 1914.
The ladder for secrets and espionage laws: where this tactic has led, stage by stage
The number of entries reflects the depth of this record, not the severity of a country's conduct.
Incidents by country and year
Australia, RSF 2026 rank: 33rd of 180
| Date | Incident | Stage | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 June 2019 | Australian Federal Police raid the national broadcaster over reporting on alleged war crimes in Afghanistan | Punish | Scott Morrison | Reversed (15 October 2020) |
China, RSF 2026 rank: 178th of 180
| Date | Incident | Stage | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 2024 | China: editor Dong Yuyu is sentenced to seven years for espionage over meals with a diplomat | Eliminate | Xi Jinping | Ongoing (1 November 2024) |
Egypt, RSF 2026 rank: 169th of 180
| Date | Incident | Stage | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 December 2013 | Egypt arrests and later convicts three Al Jazeera journalists on terrorism-related charges | Punish | Adly Mansour | Reversed (23 September 2015) |
Hong Kong, RSF 2026 rank: 140th of 180
| Date | Incident | Stage | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 December 2025 | China (Hong Kong): conviction and 20-year sentence of the media owner Jimmy Lai under the National Security Law, 2025 to 2026 | Eliminate | John Lee | Sustained (8 February 2026) |
Indonesia, RSF rank: not recorded
| Date | Incident | Stage | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1926 | Dutch East Indies: Colonial authorities end publication of the communist newspaper Mawa under Penal Code Article 153 bis, 1926 | Silence | Andries Cornelis Dirk de Graeff | Sustained (1 January 1926) |
Iran, RSF 2026 rank: 177th of 180
| Date | Incident | Stage | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 January 2024 | Iran: journalists Niloofar Hamedi and Elahe Mohammadi are sentenced to 13 and 12 years | Eliminate | Ebrahim Raisi | Ongoing (17 January 2024) |
Myanmar, RSF 2026 rank: 166th of 180
| Date | Incident | Stage | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 September 2018 | Myanmar sentences two Reuters journalists to seven years under the Official Secrets Act for reporting on a massacre | Eliminate | Aung San Suu Kyi | Reversed (7 May 2019) |
Nigeria, RSF 2026 rank: 112th of 180
| Date | Incident | Stage | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 1995 | Nigeria's military government convicts journalists by special tribunal over coup-plot reporting | Eliminate | Sani Abacha | Reversed (15 June 1998) |
North Korea, RSF rank: not recorded
| Date | Incident | Stage | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 June 2009 | North Korea: American journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee are sentenced to hard labor | Eliminate | Kim Jong Il | Reversed (4 August 2009) |
Russia, RSF 2026 rank: 172nd of 180
| Date | Incident | Stage | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 September 2022 | Russia: journalist Ivan Safronov is sentenced to 22 years for treason | Eliminate | Vladimir Putin | Ongoing (5 September 2022) |
United Kingdom, RSF 2026 rank: 18th of 180
| Date | Incident | Stage | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 August 1914 | Britain's Official Press Bureau controls newspaper coverage of the First World War | Silence | Herbert Henry Asquith | Sustained (12 November 1914) |
United States, RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180
Viet Nam, RSF rank: not recorded
| Date | Incident | Stage | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 December 2021 | Vietnam: journalist Pham Doan Trang is sentenced to nine years for anti-state "propaganda" | Eliminate | Nguyen Xuan Phuc | Sustained (14 December 2021) |
Zimbabwe, RSF 2026 rank: 124th of 180
| Date | Incident | Stage | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 July 2023 | Zimbabwe's Patriotic Act criminalizes journalists' contact with foreign governments | Punish | Emmerson Mnangagwa | Sustained (14 July 2023) |