Ā Repressive governments use sophisticated digital censorship and surveillance alongside more traditional methods to silence independent media.Ā A special report by the Committee to Protect Journalists.
The list addresses only those countries where the government tightly controls the media. The conditions for journalists and press freedom in states such asĀ Syria,Ā Yemen, andĀ SomaliaĀ are also extremely difficult, but not necessarily attributable solely to government censorship. Rather, factors like violent conflict, insufficient infrastructure, and the role of non-state actors create conditions that are dangerous for the press.
1. Eritrea
Leadership:Ā President Isaias Afewerki, in power since 1993.
How censorship works:Ā The governmentĀ shut downĀ all independent media in 2001. Eritrea is theĀ worst jailer of journalistsĀ in sub-Saharan Africa, with at least 16 journalists behind bars as of December 1, 2018; most have been imprisoned since the 2001 crackdown, and none received a trial. According to freedom of expression group Article 19, the 1996 press law includes aĀ requirementĀ that the media must promote “national objectives.” The state retains aĀ legal monopolyĀ of broadcast media, and journalists for the state media toe the government’s editorial line for fear of retaliation. Alternative sources of information such as the internet or satellite broadcasts ofĀ radio stations in exileĀ are restricted through occasional signal jams and by the poor quality of the government-controlled internet, according to DW Akademie. Internet penetration is extremely low, at just over 1% of the population, according to theĀ U.N. International Telecommunication Union. Users are forced to visit internet cafes, where they are easily monitored. A March 2019 report by the Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern AfricaĀ suggestsĀ that the authoritarian state is so “brutal or commanding” as to “render ordering overt internet disruptions unnecessary.” However, on May 15, 2019,Ā the BBC reportedĀ a social media shutdown in Eritrea, ahead of the country’s Independence Day celebrations. With the opening of the border with Ethiopia in mid-2018, someĀ foreign journalistsĀ received special accreditation to visit Eritrea, according toĀ The Economist, but access was tightly controlled.
Lowlight:Ā As many as seven journalists may have perished in custody, according toĀ reportsĀ that CPJ has not been able to confirm due to the climate of fear and tight state control. The government has refused all requests to provide concrete information on the fate of imprisoned journalists. In June 2019, more than 100 leading African journalists, scholars, and rights activistsĀ wroteĀ an open letter to Afewerki, asking to visit long-imprisoned journalists and activists; this request was soundlyĀ rejected, and deemed “inappropriate” by Eritrea’s Ministry of Information.
2. North Korea
Leadership:Ā Kim Jong Un, who took over after his father, Kim Jong Il, died in 2011.
How censorship works:Ā ArticleĀ 67Ā of the country’s constitution calls for freedom of the press, but nearly all the content of North Korea’s newspapers, periodicals, and broadcasters comes from the officialĀ Korean Central News AgencyĀ (KCNA), which focuses on the political leadership’s statements and activities. KCNA, which is highly restrictive in its coverage of foreign news, reported extensively on the brief visit by U.S. President Donald Trump to North Korea in June 2019, and praised it as an “amazing event,” the BBCĀ reported. TheĀ Associated PressĀ andĀ Agence France-PresseĀ have small bureaus, but international correspondents have beenĀ deniedĀ entry,Ā detained, and expelled. Access to the global internet is restricted to the political elite, but some schools and state institutions have access to aĀ tightly controlled intranetĀ called Kwangmyong. Bootlegged foreignĀ TV and radio signalsĀ and smuggled foreign DVDs are the main sources of independent information for the majority of North Koreans, according to a report by InterMedia. Since Kim Jong Un took power, authorities have stepped up the use of radio signal blockers and advanced radio detection equipment toĀ preventĀ people from sharing information, according toĀ The Diplomat. As of March 2019, at least four million North Koreans subscribe to Koryolink, North Korea’s main mobile network, according to South Korean dailyĀ The Hankyoreh, which cited Statistics Korea; however, subscribers are not able to access content outside North Korea.
Lowlight:Ā In September 2017, a North Korean courtĀ sentencedĀ two South Korean journalists and their publishers to death in absentia for “insulting the dignity of the country.” Son Hyo-rim ofĀ Dong-A IlboĀ and Yang Ji-ho ofĀ The Chosun IlboĀ interviewed the authors of “North Korea Confidential,” a 2015 book detailing ordinary lives in North Korea, and reviewed the book for their newspapers.
3. Turkmenistan
Leadership: President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, in power since 2006.
How censorship works: Berdymukhamedov enjoys absolute control over all spheres of life in Turkmenistan, including the media, using it toĀ promoteĀ his cult of personality. His regime suppresses independent voices byĀ detainingĀ andĀ jailingĀ journalists and, according to U.S.-Congress funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, forcing others toĀ flee the country. All media outlets are owned or tightly controlled by the government. A handful of independent Turkmenistan-focused media outlets, such asĀ Khronika TurkmenistanaĀ (Chronicles of Turkmenistan), operate in exile, and anyone who attempts to access the website can beĀ questioned by the authorities,Ā OpenDemocracyĀ reported. Correspondents for RFE/RL’s Turkmen service work under pseudonyms and have been imprisoned, attacked, and banned from traveling. Only around 21% of the country’s population had access to the internet, according to theĀ U.N. International Telecommunication Union. The regime blocks independent online publications and bans the use of VPNs and other anonymizing tools, according to IREX’s 2017Ā Media Sustainability Index. Access for foreign media is rare; ahead of the 2017 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games, authoritiesĀ revokedĀ the accreditation of several British journalists, according to theĀ Guardian. RFE/RLĀ reportedĀ in February 2019 that authorities “have actively pursued Western surveillance technology.”
Lowlight: In March 2019, freelance journalist Soltan Achilova, 69, who contributes toĀ Khronika TurkmenistanaĀ and who has previously contributed to RFE/RL’s Turkmen service, wasĀ barredĀ from boarding an international flight. Achilova, who chronicles daily life in Turkmenistan, has previously beenĀ detainedĀ by police, physicallyĀ assaulted, and threatenedĀ due to her journalism.
4. Saudi Arabia
Leadership:Ā King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, in power since 2015. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, in power since 2017.
How censorship works:Ā Under Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s already-repressive environment for the press hasĀ suffered sharp deterioration. Anti-terror and cybercrime laws and specialized courts give authorities free rein toĀ imprisonĀ journalists and bloggers who stray from the pro-government narrative;Ā 16 journalists were behind barsĀ as of December 1, 2018. Saudi authoritiesĀ detainedĀ at least nine additional journalists in the first half of 2019 alone. At least four of the journalists detained under bin Salman’s crackdown have beenĀ abused and torturedĀ in Saudi prisons, according to medical assessments prepared for King Salman and leaked toĀ The GuardianĀ newspaper. Under a 2011 regulation, websites, blogs, and anyone posting news or commentary online must have a license from the Ministry of Culture and Information. Authorities have expanded control over digital content, where the use of cybersurveillance isĀ ubiquitous, according toĀ The Washington Post. According to reports inĀ The New York TimesĀ and other sources, the authorities utilize surveillance technology and troll and bot armies to suppress coverage and discussion of sensitive topics, including the war in Yemen, and to allegedlyĀ monitorĀ dissident Saudi journalists. Saudi authorities block websites they deem objectionable, as well as access to VPN providers that would bypass blocks, according to Freedom House’sĀ Freedom on the NetĀ report. Foreign correspondents doĀ reportĀ from Saudi Arabia, but authorities are capricious in granting entry and international reporters often face restrictions on their movements, according to theĀ Columbia Journalism Review.
Lowlight:Ā In October 2018, Saudi agents–including those connected to bin Salman–brutally murderedĀ Washington PostĀ columnist and government criticĀ Jamal KhashoggiĀ inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, after luring him there to obtain paperwork. A June 2019 UN reportĀ calledĀ the murder a “premeditated execution” for which the Saudi government “is responsible,” and called for an investigation into bin Salman’s role.
5. China
Leadership:Ā President Xi Jinping, in office since 2013.
How censorship works:Ā China has the world’s most extensive and sophisticated censorship apparatus. For nearly two decades, the country has been among the world’s top jailers of journalists, with at leastĀ 47 behind barsĀ as of December 1, 2018. Both privately and state-owned news outlets are under the authorities’ supervision, and those who fail to follow the Chinese Communist Party’s directives are suspended or otherwise punished, according toĀ newsĀ reports. Since 2017, no website or social media account is allowed to provide news service on the internet without theĀ Cyberspace Administration of China’s permission. Internet users are blocked from foreign search engines, news websites, and social media platforms by the Great Firewall. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology in March 2018 announced newĀ regulationsĀ that ban unauthorized VPNs, which internet users rely on to circumvent the firewall. AuthoritiesĀ monitorĀ domestic social media networks, using surveillance programs and trained censor professionals. Foreign social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube are banned; they are accessible via VPNs, but censorship efforts have extended to knocking on doors to order people to delete their tweets, according toĀ The Washington Post. International journalists working in China face digital and humanĀ surveillance, with visas delayed orĀ denied. In August 2018, the Hong Kong Journalists AssociationĀ saidĀ press freedom in the territory had deteriorated under the “one country” policy, with the media practicing more self-censorship without laws to safeguard freedom of information.
Lowlight:Ā In the northwest Xinjiang region, where the authorities have detained up toĀ three millionĀ Uighur and Turkic Muslims in so-called reeducation camps, surveillance and censorship are widespread. Journalists in the region risk imprisonment for everyday reporting, onĀ chargesĀ such as being a “two-faced” party official. The Foreign Correspondents’ Club of China in January 2019Ā saidĀ many members who travel to the region areĀ followedĀ and surveilled.
6. Vietnam
Leadership:Ā President and Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, in power since 2018.
How censorship works:Ā The Communist Party-led government owns and controls all print and broadcast media in Vietnam. A raft of repressive laws and decrees sharply curtails any media criticism of the one-party government, its policies, and its performance. The 2016 Press LawĀ statesĀ that the press must serve as the voice of the party, party organizations, and state agencies. Censorship is enforced through government directives to newspaper, radio, and TV editors, commanding which topics are to be highlighted and omitted. There are no independent, non-state online news outlets allowed to be based in Vietnam apart from the Catholic church-runĀ Redemptorist NewsĀ and foreign news bureaus whose reporters are tightly surveilled and movements restricted. Foreign journalists who travel on media visas are required to hire a government minder who follows them. AĀ new cybersecurity lawĀ came into effect on January 1, 2019, giving authorities sweeping powers to censor online content, including provisions that require technology companies to disclose user data and take down content viewed as objectionable by authorities, according toĀ Reuters. The law builds onĀ Decree 72, a 2013 order that gave the state broad authority to censor blogs and social media; internet service providers that disseminate banned content face fines or closure, according to the Electronic Frontier Foundation.Ā Censored topicsĀ include human rights and the activities of political dissidents. Censorship is enforced through filtering and surveillance, including through a military-run, 10,000-strong cyber warfare unit known as “Force 47” tasked with tackling “wrong views,” according to theĀ Financial Times. Independent journalists andĀ bloggersĀ who report critically on sensitive issues face harassment or detention on anti-state charges; at leastĀ 11 were behind barsĀ as of December 1, 2018.
Lowlight:Ā Radio Free Asia bloggerĀ Truong Duy Nhat, known for his critical exposĆ©s on the Communist Party, went missing in Thailand in January 2019 amid widespread speculation he was abducted by Vietnamese agents. He re-emerged in March in Hanoi’s T-16 prison, where he was being held without charge, according toĀ newsĀ reports.
7. Iran
Leadership:Ā Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in power since 1989. President Hassan Rouhani, in office since 2013.
How censorship works:Ā Iran’s government jails journalists, blocks websites, and maintains aĀ climate of fearĀ with harassment and surveillance, including of journalists’Ā families. Domestic media must adhere to tight government controls. All journalists working in Iran must receive official accreditation; those permissions are regularly suspended or revoked. Foreign bureaus areĀ permittedĀ but work under intense scrutiny; correspondents fromĀ international outletsĀ have had their permission to work suspended for periods of time, and in some cases permanently. AuthoritiesĀ arrestĀ and imposeĀ harsh prison sentencesĀ on journalists who cover topics deemed sensitive, including local corruption andĀ protests. The government suppresses online expression byĀ spyingĀ on domestic and international journalists,Ā jamming satellite television broadcasts, and blocking millions ofĀ websites and key social media platforms, according to the Center for Human Rights in Iran and U.S. Congress-funded Radio Farda. When nationwide anti-government protests took place in late 2017 and early 2018, authorities throttled and shut down theĀ internetĀ and mobile networks, according toĀ Newsweek. TheyĀ banned circumvention toolsĀ and used hacking and trolling campaigns targeted at domestic and international reporters, Radio Farda reported. The National Cyberspace Council hasĀ bannedĀ Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube–and the messaging apps Telegram and WhatsApp–but these are accessible via VPNs, according to Bloomberg.
Lowlight:Ā In January 2019, Iran’s judiciary sentencedĀ Yashar SoltaniĀ to five years in prison on anti-state charges after he published a series of articles that unveiled alleged corruption in Tehran land deals. Soltani worked forĀ Memari News, the now-defunct independent website focusing exclusively on architecture and urban affairs.
8. Equatorial Guinea
Leadership:Ā President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, in power since 1979; Africa’s longest-ruling head of state.
How censorship works:Ā The government maintains a tight grip on how and what journalists report in Equatorial Guinea. All broadcast media areĀ government owned, except for RTV-Asonga, a network owned by the president’s son, Teodoro Nguema Obiang, who is also the country’s vice president.Ā LocalĀ and international broadcasters have been banned from covering certain subjects deemed threatening to the image of the country or those close to the president. While privately owned newspapers do exist, journalists work under threat of prosecution for coverage deemed critical of the president, his family, or the government in general, and thus frequently self-censor, according to a June 2019Ā reportĀ by Civicus. Websites of foreign news outlets and the political opposition are among those regularly blocked,Ā accordingĀ to an October 2018 civil society submission to the U.N. Universal Periodic Review. The 1997Ā Press, Printing and Audiovisual LawĀ restricts journalistic activity, including allowing for official prepublication censorship, and defamation and libel remain criminal offenses under the penal code, according to Civicus and Freedom House’sĀ Freedom of the PressĀ report. In November 2017, the internet was shut down on the day of voting for parliamentary and municipal elections, and Facebook was blocked for about three weeks prior to the vote, according toĀ newsĀ reportsĀ and civil society groupĀ EG Justice.
Lowlight: In September 2017, cartoonistĀ RamĆ³n NsĆ© Esono EbalĆ©–who had been living in exile–was arrested by Equatorial Guinean authorities while in the country to renew his passport; he was interrogated about his drawings and blog that featured critical commentary on the president, and imprisoned for six months on false charges of money laundering and counterfeiting. After his release in March 2018, the authoritiesĀ refused to renew his passportĀ for several months, preventing him from returning home to his wife and child in El Salvador.
9. Belarus
Leadership:Ā President Alexander Lukashenko, in power since 1994; Europe’s longest-ruling head of state.
How censorship works:Ā Authorities in Belarus exercise almost absolute control over the media; and theĀ few independent journalistsĀ andĀ bloggersĀ face harassment and detentions. The state systematically targets influential media outlets and individuals, often in very public ways,Ā arrestingĀ journalists,Ā raidingĀ newsrooms, and initiatingĀ criminal probesĀ for reporting. In recent years, the government blocked independent news websites includingĀ Charter 97, founded by now-exiled journalistĀ Natalya Radina. As the government squeezes independent news outlets, more Belarusians rely on social networks. InĀ recent legislative movesĀ to tighten its grip on digital media, the government in 2018 approved a bill on “fake news” and adopted amendments to the Law on Mass Media that tightened control over news websites and social media. The government has the authority to oversee internet service providers (ISPs), set standards for information security, conduct digital surveillance of citizens, and manage Belarus’ top-level domains, according to Freedom House’sĀ Freedom on the NetĀ report.
Lowlight:Ā In March 2019, Maryna Zolatava, editor-in-chief of independent news outletĀ Tut.by, wasĀ found guiltyĀ of accessing a state-run news site with someone else’s log-in information and fined 7,650 Belarusian rubles ($3,600).
10. Cuba
Leadership:Ā President Miguel DĆaz-Canel, who succeeded RaĆŗl Castro in 2018.
How censorship works:Ā Despite some improvements in recent years–including the expansion of mobile internet and Wi-Fi access–Cuba still has the most restricted climate for the press in the Americas. Print and broadcast media are wholly controlled by the one-party Communist state and, byĀ law, must be “in accordance with the goals of the socialist society.” In a missed opportunity, aĀ referendumĀ on constitutional changes, approved in February 2019, did not include any loosening of media restrictions. Cuba rolled out home internet access in 2017 and mobile data plans in 2018, but the services areĀ prohibitivelyĀ expensive for most Cubans, with 4 gigabytes of data costing around $30, the equivalent of the average state monthly salary in 2017. Although the internet has opened some space for critical reporting, the state-owned service provider, ETECSA, isĀ ordered to blockĀ objectionable content, andĀ restricts accessĀ to some critical blogs and news platforms, according to a report by the Open Observatory of Network Interference, which collects data on network tampering. Some independent journalists and bloggersĀ use websitesĀ that are hosted overseas. The government targets critical journalists through harassment, physical and online surveillance,Ā short-term detentions,Ā home raids, and equipment seizures. Natural disaster coverage is one flashpoint: authorities detained multiple journalists reporting on the aftermath of hurricanes inĀ October 2016Ā and September 2017. Visas for international journalists areĀ granted selectivelyĀ by officials, according to Freedom House’sĀ Freedom of the PressĀ report.
Lowlight:Ā In April 2019, police agentsĀ detainedĀ Roberto JesĆŗs QuiƱones, a contributor to the news websiteĀ CubaNet, outside the GuantĆ”namo Municipal Tribunal where he was covering a trial, and beat him while he was being transported to the GuantĆ”namo police station. QuiƱones had been harassed by Cuban authorities in the past, is barred from leaving the country, and has been detained several times, according toĀ CubaNet.
Methodology: The 10 Most Censored Countries list assesses direct and indirect government censorship based on CPJ research, as well as the expertise of the organization’s staff. Countries are evaluated based on a series of benchmarks, including:
- Absence of and/or restrictions on privately owned or independent media
- Criminal defamation laws; criminal restrictions on the dissemination of false news
- Blocking of websites
- Jamming of foreign broadcasts
- Blocking of foreign correspondents
- Surveillance of journalists by authorities
- Restrictions on journalists’ movements
- License requirements to conduct journalism
- Restrictions on electronic recording and dissemination
- Targeted hacking or trolling campaigns
