Rana Ayyub Faces ‘Misogynistic’ Attacks And ‘Judicial Harassment’, Say UN experts

UN human rights experts have said that journalist Rana Ayyub has been subjected to “judicial harassment” and urged the govt to “promptly” investigate the “relentless misogynistic and sectarian” attacks on social media against her, including death and rape threats.

UN Special Rapporteurs on the right to freedom of opinion and expression, Irene Khan and situation of human rights defenders, Mary Lawlor said Ayyub continues to be the target of intensifying online harassment by far-right Hindu nationalist groups.

“The lack of condemnation and proper investigation by the government, coupled with the legal harassment it has itself inflicted on Ms. Ayyub, has only served to falsely legitimise the attacks and attackers and further endangered her safety,” the statement said.

India, however, rejected the allegations as “baseless and unwarranted”, and added that “India upholds the rule of law”.

India’s permanent mission to the UN in Geneva said in a tweet: “Allegations of so-called judicial harassment are baseless & unwarranted. India upholds the rule of law, but is equally clear that no one is above the law. We expect SRs to be objective & accurately informed. Advancing a misleading narrative only tarnishes @UNGeneva’s reputation.”

Rana Ayyub is an award-winning investigative journalist who has emerged as one of the chief chroniclers of India’s democratic decline in the international press. She has accused the BJP government of attacking her for her critical reporting of the government. Last week, The Washington Post, where Ayyub is a columnist issued a full-page advertisement in her support saying “the free press is under attack in India”.

On February 10, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) attached funds worth ₹1.77 crores from the bank accounts of Rana Ayyub, alleging that donations raised by her for relief work through an online crowd-funding platform were laundered and used for personal expenses.

Ayyub refuted the allegations and shared details of how the money was raised on the crowd-funding platform Ketto and spent thereafter.