Countries with the most arrests
Uploaded Image
Transcribed Text
The image presents a ranked list of “countries with the most arrests for online comments” with specific counts (e.g., UK 12,183+; Belarus 6,205+; Germany 3,500+).
Full analysis The complete summary ⌄
The image presents a ranked list of “countries with the most arrests for online comments” with specific counts (e.g., UK 12,183+; Belarus 6,205+; Germany 3,500+). Targeted web research finds partial support for the UK figure: multiple fact-checks report that 12,183 arrests in 2023 (England & Wales) came from The Times’ FOI-based tally for arrests under s127 Communications Act 2003 and s1 Malicious Communications Act 1988. However, the broader cross-country ranking is not supported by a coherent, comparable dataset: reputable fact-checking coverage explicitly warns the international figures are not comparable and that some non-UK numbers appear to be drawn from unrelated sources (e.g., Germany “3,500 cases” processed in a region; China “1,500 arrests” tied to an online rumour crackdown, not a general “comments” metric). For most other countries listed (Belarus, Turkey, Russia, Poland, Thailand, Brazil, Syria, India, Iran, France, US), I could not confirm the specific totals and definitions from up-to-date primary or consistently reputable secondary sources, so those claims remain Unverified rather than False.
What checked out (1)
- A widely cited figure of 12,183 arrests in 2023 (across police forces in England and Wales) relates to arrests under section 127 of the Communications Act 2003 and section 1 of the Malicious Communications Act 1988, sourced from FOI-based reporting by The Times and discussed in subsequent fact-checking coverage.
Unverified claims 15 claims ⌄
- United Kingdom: 12,183+ arrests for “online comments” (as phrased in the image) — while 12,183 arrests in 2023 is supported for specific statutory categories (s127 Communications Act 2003; s1 Malicious Communications Act 1988), the image’s broader label “online comments” is vague and may mischaracterise what those arrests encompassed (not all are merely ‘comments’).
- Belarus: 6,205+ arrests for online comments.
- Germany: 3,500+ arrests for online comments.
- China: ~1,500 arrests for online comments.
- Turkey (Türkiye): ~500 arrests for online comments.
- Russia: ~400 arrests for online comments.
- Poland: ~300 arrests for online comments.
- Thailand: ~258 arrests for online comments.
- Brazil: ~200 arrests for online comments.
- Syria: ~146 arrests for online comments.
- India: ~100 arrests for online comments.
- Iran: ~100 arrests for online comments.
- France: ~54 arrests for online comments.
- United States: ~50 arrests for online comments.
- The implied claim that these figures are cross-nationally comparable and represent the countries with ‘the most arrests for online comments’ in a consistent timeframe and definition.
Sources & how we checked Search journal, source grades, confidence ⌄
Confidence
Medium — Confidence is medium because the UK figure’s provenance (Times FOI-based tally; 12,183 arrests in 2023 under specified statutes) is consistently described by multiple reputable fact-checking sources, and China’s ‘over 1,500 arrests’ in an online-rumours campaign is supported by an official-state-linked report and a major regional newspaper. However, the central claim of a robust cross-national ranking by ‘online comment arrests’ cannot be confirmed, and most country-specific numbers lack corroboration from authoritative, definition-matched sources, forcing Unverified classifications.
Search journal
"Countries with the most arrests for online comments" United Kingdom 12,183 Belarus 6,205 Germany 3,500
UK 12,183 arrests for online comments 2024 2025 2026 source
- https://www.standard.co.uk/news/tommy-robinson-uk-speech-claims-b1248644.html
- https://factchecknederland.afp.com/doc.afp.com.83W66CQ
Lower Saxony 3,500 cases crimes of talking posting internet 60 Minutes February 2024 Germany
China arrests over 1,500 suspects spreading online rumors since December 2023 Ministry of Public Security
- https://www.china.org.cn/china/2024-04/13/content_117122953.htm
- https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3259183/chinese-police-arrest-over-1500-online-rumours-cam...
Syria stop arrests for online comments Human Rights Watch