9 Journalists who faced criminal charges in the past

Julian Assange: The founder of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, faced criminal charges related to the publication of classified documents. He was arrested in 2019 and has been the subject of legal proceedings since then.

Maria Ressa: Maria Ressa, a Filipino journalist and co-founder of Rappler, has faced multiple criminal charges, including cyber libel and tax evasion. Her work as a critic of the government has led to accusations that these charges are politically motivated.

Jason Rezaian: Jason Rezaian, an American-Iranian journalist, was arrested and charged with espionage in Iran in 2014. He was held in detention for over a year before being released in a prisoner swap.

Mohamed Fahmy: Canadian-Egyptian journalist Mohamed Fahmy was arrested in Egypt in 2013 and charged with spreading false news and supporting the Muslim Brotherhood. He was eventually pardoned and released in 2015.

Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo: Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo were arrested in Myanmar in 2017 and charged with violating the Official Secrets Act. They were reporting on the Rohingya crisis at the time. They were later released after spending over a year in prison.

Ahmet Altan: Turkish journalist Ahmet Altan has faced multiple criminal charges, including terrorism-related offenses and attempting to overthrow the government. He was imprisoned for several years before being released in 2019.

Dawit Isaak: Eritrean-Swedish journalist Dawit Isaak has been held in prison in Eritrea since 2001 without trial or formal charges. He was arrested during a crackdown on independent media in the country.

Barrett Brown: American journalist Barrett Brown faced charges related to his work with the hacking collective Anonymous. He was convicted of accessory after the fact and obstruction of justice, among other charges, and served time in prison.

Ivan Golunov: Russian investigative journalist Ivan Golunov was arrested in 2019 and charged with drug trafficking. The charges were later dropped following widespread protests and allegations of fabrication.