Although months away, the political climate leading up to elections is already being shaped by repression and restrictions.

The interim government in Bangladesh has now arrested at least five journalists and filed cases of murder and crimes against humanity against dozens of others

According to several politicians, journalists, and organizations, the law threatens to severely limit freedom of expression and promote the privatization of media

Julian Assange was granted another opportunity to appeal his extradition to the US after the UK High Court found US assurances of a fair trial inadequate

The polarizing figure Nayib Bukele won the presidential elections with 85% of the votes, a historic margin of victory over the opposing candidates

Egyptian journalist Karim Assaad was detained for over a day after his site revealed the names of Egyptians who were on board a plane which carried cash and weapons to Zambia

The bill introduces a new set of prohibitions and restrictions on speech and posts made on social media and elsewhere on the internet that the government deems to be a danger to national unity

The well-known Palestinian journalist was killed by Israeli soldiers while covering a violent raid by occupation forces in the city of Jenin in the occupied West Bank last year

Ghosheh has already spent 10 months in house arrest with a ban on her social media use. She is accused of causing incitement to violence and “identification with a terrorist group” for her social media posts and writings

Merdan Yanardağ, a prominent Turkish television journalist, was arrested after he criticized Turkish authorities for not allowing Ocalan to meet his family members and his lawyer

The Egyptian government headed by President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has presided over a systematic campaign of repression and persecution of its critics 

The ‘survey’ operation conducted by the Income Tax Department was condemned by opposition parties, rights bodies and journalists’ organizations. It comes barely a month after the BBC aired a controversial two-part documentary on the Gujarat riots of 2002