This article will bring you to the list of the most censored countries with the highest internet and media censorship in the world. Insider Monkey has recently published an interesting article about it. While many of us take for granted the access to information we have nowadays, people in some parts of the world do not have that luxury. I refer to people living in countries where democracy is a word feared by those who govern. Lack of media freedom and strict censorship is what, among other things, characterizes repressive regimes of the developing world. Independent media is pretty much non-existent in these regimes, and publishing content of your own liking is a matter for wishful thinking. Practising investigative journalism involves the risk of being abused, verbally and physically, and of being held criminally liable. Any criticism of the dominant discourse is eliminated as it represents a threat. Censorship in this context is an especially important tool of the government.
Now without a further ado let’s see what Insider Monkey has investigated for us. We have picked three of the most censored countries with the highest internet and media censorship in the world from their list.
The first one is Equatorial Guinea. The current president of Equatorial Guinea has ruled the country for the past 38 years. As the Reporters without Borders indicates, he has been controlling the media by exercising prior censorship. Self-censorship comes in place of reporting. The second country should be Iran. Any criticism of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is censored offline and online. The repressive conditions force journalists into self-censorship. Dissident voices in the media are silenced, harassed or subject to arbitrary detention. At last, but not least let’s check out Cuba. In the last ranking of World Press Freedom Index Cuba is ranked 173rd out of 180 countries making it one of the most censored countries in 2017. The media is controlled by the ruling party. As suggested by the Committee to Protect Journalists, while the internet has created some space for critical reporting, objectionable content is blocked.
For any further useful information, read Insider Monkey’s article about 15 most censored countries with the highest internet and media censorship in the world.
