DILI, 30 April 2026 (TATOLI) – Timor-Leste has climbed 9 places to 30th spot in the 2026 World Press Freedom Index, according to the latest report by Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
The country recorded a score of 75.29 this year, an increase of 3.5 points from last year’s 71.79. Despite the significant improvement, the score remains within the “satisfactory” or “relatively free” category.
This year, Norway (1st) Netherlands (2nd), Estonia (3rd) Denmark (4th) Sweden (5th), Finland (6th), Ireland (7th), Switzerland (8th), Luxemburg (9th), and Portugal (10) occupied the top 10 positions, while Eritrea ranked at the bottom of the list of the 180 countries and territories ranked by the Reporters Without Borders.
This score places Timor-Leste at the top among ASEAN countries, with its media ranking among the freest in the region.
Among ASEAN countries, the RSF 2022 World Press Freedom Index ranked Thailand 92nd, Malaysia 95th, Brunei 96th, the Philippines 114th, Singapore 123rd, Indonesia 129th, Cambodia 151st, Laos 154th, Myanmar 166th, and Vietnam 174th.
Among CPLP countries, Timor-Leste ranked second, behind Portugal, which occupied 10th place.
According to the report, no journalist has ever been jailed in connection with their work in this young democracy, but the 2014 media law is a permanent threat hanging over journalists and encourages self-censorship.
While journalists in ASEAN’s newest member country generally enjoy broad freedom to report, they remain vulnerable to abusive legal actions, particularly under Article 285 of the Penal Code, which covers “defamatory denunciation”, and are not immune from intimidation by the authorities.
RSF’s recommendations to the Government of Timor-Leste:
- Protect journalists from abusive legal action, by reforming Article 285 of the Penal Code to prevent its misuse against journalists, and adopting specific legislation or procedures to allow for early dismissal of strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs).
- Guarantee the independence of public media, by enshrining in law an explicit prohibition of political interference in the appointment of executives, editorial lines and programming decisions, ensuring stable and appropriate public funding that safeguards editorial autonomy, and establishing an independent governance mechanism for public media based on competence and merit.
- Strengthen the viability and credibility of the media sector, by introducing transparent and fair economic incentives for media outlets that comply with professional and ethical standards such as the Journalism Trust Initiative (JTI), and promoting continuous professional training for journalists and encouraging diversification of revenue sources to ensure the sector’s autonomy.
- Promoting press freedom within ASEAN by proposing the creation of an independent committee mandated to exchange best practices, develop recommendations on media regulation and press freedom, and to alert and document press freedom violations among member states.
TATOLI
