India: Rana Ayyub shadow-banned by Twitter, setting new precedents for press censorship in country

Threats
Written By 
Location: India, New Delhi      
Date: June 27, 2022

Amid continued attacks on press freedom in India, investigative journalist Rana Ayyub was censored by Twitter at the behest of state authorities she holds to account. Rana, who faces continued persecution by Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Hindu nationalist right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government was notified by Twitter that her tweet critical of mosque demolitions in India was withheld under the country’s information laws.

The Coalition For Women In Journalism condemns the global social media platform's move to censor a journalist. It shows the immense power of corporations and how they enable fascist regimes in quashing press freedom. The platform has done nothing to address the online abuse and hate that Rana has faced but chooses to enforce press censorship. 

On June 26, 2022, Rana posted a screenshot of the email she received by Twitter. The microblogging site stated her tweet was being withheld in India under the country’s Information Technology Act 2000 but remained accessible elsewhere. 

 
 
 
 
 
 

The tweet in question was posted on April 9, 2021 and pertained to a controversial court order allowing a video-recorded survey of the Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, according to independent Indian digital news portal Scroll.In. 

Rana had shared news of a Varanasi civil court’s decision echoing widespread concerns that the verdict set “the stage for demolition of yet another mosque in India, sanctioned by the judiciary, endorsed by the regime, abetted by the silence of its liberals and enabled by the complicity of the citizenry”. 

“Yet another day of humiliating the Muslim minority. Democracy anyone?” asked Rana in the censored tweet. 

The withholding of Rana’s tweet once again drew attention to Twitter’s dubious content regulation policies with multiple instances of the digital platform silencing accounts critical of the BJP-led government. 

Australian columnist CJ Werleman’s Twitter account was censored in India days before Rana the social media giant notified Rana about her 2021 tweet. 

“More proof Twitter is operating as a protection racket for the Indian government: my account has now been withheld in India because of demands made by the far-right, Hindu fascist regime of Narendra Modi,” posted Werleman on Twitter sharing the news. 

Werleman, whose account remains accessible elsewhere, writes on Islamophobia and reports on conflict and terrorism across the world. Other Twitter users critical of the Indian state’s policies and state-supported violence against minorities in India also faced censorship by Twitter. These include activists, academics, journalists and rights defenders, among others. 

The withholding of Rana’s tweet is particularly jarring when viewed in context of Twitter’s complete indifference to the barrage of hate the journalist is daily sent online. The senior Muslim woman journalist and Washington Post columnist has been a vocal critical of Modi and the BJP government in India. She is known for her investigative reports on communal violence in India. For this reason, she is often targeted by the state and BJP supporters both online and offline. The journalist has braved disinformation campaigns, legal harassment, organized online trolling, among other violations including a federal investigation into a relief fund she launched for Covid-19 relief. 

In recent days, the journalist witnessed a spike in online hate directed her way as the state apparatus clamped down on Muslims protesting against BJP leaders’ hateful rhetoric after the ruling party was forced to suspend two of its members due to unprecedented backlash over Islamophobic remarks insulting Prophet Muhammad. 

Earlier this year, in March, Rana was booked on allegations of hurting religious sentiments through her statement that Muslim girls should be allowed to wear hijab. The FIR was preceded and followed by online hate directed at Rana on Twitter. Prior to that, in January she was targeted by roughly 25,000 threatening tweets. 

In none of these instances did the social media giant step in to protect Rana from vile abuse and hate targeting her for her work, religion and gender. Nor has it intervened to regulate hateful content pushed by state-supported Hindu nationalist leaders and BJP supporters on its platform. 

A day after Rana was notified by Twitter, Muhammad Zubair, co-founder of Alt News was arrested by Delhi Police on Monday, 27 June, under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 153 (promotion of enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language) and 295 A (outraging religious feelings of any class). The post, from four years ago, was produced in court as evidence against him. This sparked a Twitter campaign demanding his immediate release. From attacks on journalist Saba Naqvi, the recent arrests of activist Teesta Setalvad and Zubair, to the continued harassment of Rana, it is evident that the BJP government is relentless in its persecution of those critical of its policies. Find the CFWIJ’s timeline of attacks on Rana here and our detailed coverage of violations against women journalists in India here.  

The Coalition For Women In Journalism reasserts its support for Rana Ayyub and strongly condemns the repeated attempts to weaponize the law in order to silence her. Twitter’s apparent enabling of state suppression in India and silencing of a prominent Muslim journalist is extremely worrying. It stands in blatant violation of both press freedom and freedom of speech. Content regulation must be aimed at ensuring inclusive spaces and protecting Internet users from such targeted attacks not at aiding authoritarian regimes silencing critical voices. 

 

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.

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