India: CFWIJ Welcomes Investigation Into Individuals Harassing Rana Ayyub
Location: India, Mumbai
Date: February 3, 2022
The police have registered a First Information Report (FIR) against four individuals who were visible in a Youtube video slandering Rana Ayyub. They are also working with the cyber cell to further investigate six other accounts active on Instagram and Twitter, and have sought further information on them from service providers. This comes after Rana was subject to a vile online campaign during which the journalist received roughly 25,000 Twitter posts threatening her personal and professional well-being.
Rana took to twitter to confirm that the investigation is underway. “About time these brazen and consolidated acts of online violence are stopped and the perpetrators brought to book,” she said while thanking the authorities for their support.
Mumbai Police has registered an FIR against those who disseminated fake news, morphed tweets and death and rape threats against me. About time these brazen and consolidated acts of online violence are stopped and the perpetrators brought to book
— Rana Ayyub (@RanaAyyub) January 31, 2022
Impressed with the alacrity and co-operation of @CPMumbaiPolice @Dwalsepatil @supriya_sule @satejp @CMOMaharashtra. This bullying and assault on women needs to stop. Hope the accused are brought to book soon
— Rana Ayyub (@RanaAyyub) January 31, 2022
Rana has been on the receiving end of several misinformation and abuse campaigns. This particularly vicisous one began shortly after Rana posted on Twitter calling the intention of the international community to “the genocide” of the Yemeni people, yet another misinformation campaign was launched against her. Matters escalated to the point that thousands of tweets were directed at Rana, threatening her with rape and death.
According to the journalist, most of the hateful tweets directed her way were by Indian right-wing accounts and Saudi nationalists. In one of the tweets posted by Rana, she wrote that Yemen is bleeding and there is nobody to stop “the bloodthirsty Saudis”. She urged the global community to not remain silent in the face of genocide.
In recent years, the senior journalist has faced online and physical harassment for her coverage of Kashmir, the farmers’ protests and Covid-19. In an opinion published by The Washington Post this month, Rana wrote “I would be lying if I said it hasn’t affected me, that I’ve been able to simply brave on". She wrote that she has been forced to rethink her career and has considered leaving journalism altogether given all the abuse she faces.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism is glad that the authorities have stepped up this time to support the journalist and ensure her safety. Rana’s voice is critical to the culture of dissent in Indian journalism, and these repeated attacks to intimidate her into silence need to end.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism is a global organization of support for women journalists. The CFWIJ pioneered mentorship for mid-career women journalists across several countries around the world and is the first organization to focus on the status of free press for women journalists. We thoroughly document cases of any form of abuse against women in any part of the globe. Our system of individuals and organizations brings together the experience and mentorship necessary to help female career journalists navigate the industry. Our goal is to help develop a strong mechanism where women journalists can work safely and thrive.
If you have been harassed or abused in any way, and please report the incident by using the following form.