Rana Ayyub received the prestigious John Aubuchon Press Freedom Award from the National Press Club of Washington, DC. She is a well-known Indian journalist and novelist of the investigative book ‘Gujarat Files: Anatomy of a Cover Up’.
Ayyub, a Washington Post columnist, has faced threats and harassment for her critical reporting on the Modi government. The Post ran a full-page ad in assistance of Ayyub earlier this year. Stating that “the free press in India is under attack.”
Ms. Ayyub dedicated the award to her colleagues who are imprisoned in various prisons across the country after her name was announced in July 2022. I dedicate this to my colleagues Mohd Zubair, Siddique Kappan and Asif Sultan, who are currently imprisoned for speaking truth to power, she had said.
Rana Ayyub stated in her acceptance speech on Wednesday that India no longer has a free press. I’m here trying to feel less alone at a time when I’m feeling very lonely, she said.
“I am both a Muslim and a woman”. How dare I say anything…? Thank you for making me feel less alone and isolated,” she continued.
Rana Ayyub tweet
This evening I received the John Aubuchon honor in a room full of the country’s finest. I dedicated the award to Shirin Abu Akhleh and to every single journalist fighting an isolating battle. History will be kind to us. Thank you @PressClubDc @mccarrennews
This evening I received the John Aubuchon honour in a room full of the country’s finest. I dedicated the award to Shirin Abu Akhleh and to every single journalist fighting an isolating battle. History will be kind to us. Thank you @PressClubDC @mccarrennews pic.twitter.com/SDhjYGvBES
— Rana Ayyub (@RanaAyyub) December 8, 2022
