India: Malicious Doxing by Right-Wing Trolls Targets Rana Ayyub, Incites Harassment
November 8, 2024 - Mumbai, India
Women Press Freedom condemns the latest act of doxing against journalist Rana Ayyub, whose private phone number was maliciously posted on Twitter by a Hindu right-wing account, inviting followers to harass her.
This targeted doxing of Ayyub—who is a prominent critic of the Modi administration’s policies—poses a grave threat to her privacy and safety, as she has since been overwhelmed with video calls and “obscene” WhatsApp messages.
Ayyub has reported the harassment to the police.
Data documented by Women Press Freedom from January 2019 to July 2024 reveals alarming statistics highlighting the hostile environment for women journalists in India. Of the 178 documented cases of online harassment targeting women journalists globally, 8.4% (15 cases) originated in India. Similarly, out of 101 documented cases of organized troll campaigns, Indian journalists were the target in nearly 10% of the cases.
We strongly condemn the relentless abuse directed at Ayyub, who has been repeatedly targeted by trolls, abusers, and harassers for her courageous investigative journalism focused on human rights in India.
We stand in solidarity with Rana Ayyub and call for swift action to hold those responsible accountable, ensuring that this heinous targeting is met with justice.
WPF strongly condemns the attack on Lorena Resulaj, who was physically assaulted while questioning Roskovec Mayor Majlinda Bufi. Shocking footage shows municipal staff forcibly removing the Piranjat reporter as the mayor looked on.
We demand authorities in the region to stop weaponizing the law to attack journalists and undermine press freedom. We also call for their immediate release and for them to be allowed to work freely without any fear of retaliation.
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We stand in solidarity with Rana Ayyub and call for swift action to hold those responsible accountable, ensuring that this heinous targeting is met with justice.
We call for transparent investigations into the journalist’s cases and ask for her safety to be ensured, so she can continue to report the truth without any fear of retribution.
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