By the numbers: hundreds of violations against journalists in Iran in a single year

In a new international assessment reflecting the depth of the structural crisis facing journalism inside Iran, Reporters Without Borders has released its annual report for the 2026 World Press Freedom Index.

The results confirmed the continued decline, with Iran dropping an additional place to rank 177th out of 180 countries, maintaining its position on the “black list” that includes the most repressive regimes for the media, alongside China, North Korea, and Eritrea.

A World at Risk: The Expansion of “National Security Laws”

The situation in Iran was not isolated from a bleak global context. Reporters Without Borders warned that more than half of the world’s countries are experiencing a “serious” situation regarding press freedom.

The organization attributed this deterioration to increasing legal pressures, as governments impose additional restrictions based on “national security” or “counterterrorism” laws.

While Norway topped the list for the tenth consecutive year, followed by the Netherlands and Estonia, Germany saw a notable drop to 14th place. In contrast, Syria recorded the largest jump, improving by 36 positions following recent political changes, despite remaining within the danger zone.

Iran 2025–2026: The Mechanics of Systematic Repression

According to findings by the Defense for Freedom of Information Flow (DeFFI), 2025 witnessed an unprecedented intensification of restrictions. The measures went beyond arrests to include “transnational threats” against Iranian journalists abroad.

By the end of 2025 and the beginning of 2026, amid the outbreak of anti-government protests, the Iranian regime activated pre-designed “repression protocols.”

A complete “digital blackout” was imposed through the shutdown of international internet access, disruption of communication networks, and the criminalization of contact with foreign media outlets.

Statistical analysis by DeFFI indicates that this mechanism is not random but rather an integrated system combining judicial and security institutions with an “electronic army” of disinformation outlets and thousands of accounts on platforms such as Telegram and X (formerly Twitter), to amplify the authorities’ narrative and distort facts.

Record of Violations: Prisons Instead of Newsrooms

In its annual report, supported by Reporters Without Borders, DeFFI documented 264 new cases of direct repression during 2025. The year began with nine journalists behind bars, including Nasrin Hosni (Bojnord Prison), Gina Modarres Gorji (Sanandaj Prison), Reza Valizadeh, and Italian journalist Cecilia Sala (Tehran Prison).

Throughout the year, 14 journalists were subjected to temporary detention, including prominent figures such as Mehdi Beik, Majid Saeedi, and Hossein Maleknejad. Although some were released, they faced severe restrictions preventing them from returning to their profession.

With the start of 2026, concerns escalated over photojournalist Alieh Motalebzadeh, who was arrested in Mashhad and transferred to an unknown location, where she faces solitary confinement and is being denied medical treatment despite her struggle with cancer.

Legal Arsenal: Criminalizing Journalism

The report showed that the Iranian judiciary uses “vague charges” as a tool to silence voices. The most frequent charges in 2025 included propaganda against the regime (22 cases), defamation and libel (21 cases), disclosure of classified documents and insulting government officials (14 cases), as well as cooperation with hostile states and conspiracy against national security.

Statistically, security and judicial institutions committed at least 398 human rights violations against journalists.

These included 239 cases of threats and harassment, 67 closed trials, and 54 instances of targeting journalists’ families to pressure them.

Iranian journalism also suffers from difficult and troubling conditions not only as a result of judicial and security confrontations, but also due to the absence of cohesive journalistic organizations and financial crises within media outlets, which further exacerbate its unacceptable situation.

In 2025, no action was taken to reopen the Iranian Journalists Association which was closed following the 2009 protests and interference in press independence continued through the Ministry of Islamic Guidance’s full control over a significant portion of media financial resources (advertising distribution).

Iranian authorities have heavily invested in their propaganda apparatus with the aim of weakening journalism in the country.

The security, judicial, and propaganda bodies of the Islamic Republic operate in close coordination to prevent independent narratives from becoming the dominant discourse among citizens.

How Is the Decline Measured?

The ranking by Reporters Without Borders is based on five key indicators: political context, legal framework, economic context, sociocultural context, and safety.

In Iran’s case, the legal and security indicators recorded the lowest scores, as journalists are treated as security suspects or “spies” simply for reporting reality.

Iran’s position at 177th place is not merely a statistical decline, but a reflection of a reality in which hundreds of journalists live between prisons and exile, under a system that views “independent information” as an existential threat to its survival.