The United Nations human rights experts on Thursday, 24 May, released a statement calling Indian government to “urgently protect” journalist Rana Ayyub,who has received death threats following an online hate campaign.

About Rana Ayyub

Ayyub is an independent journalist and writer whose work has included investigations into alleged crimes committed by public and government officials.

Image

According to the statement, Ayyub received gang-rape and death threats after she was falsely quoted in a tweet on 20 April, 2018. The malicious tweet claimed that Ayyub was supporting child rapists, stating that Muslims were no longer safe in India.Ayyub received a barrage of hate-filled messages, which included calls for her to be gang-raped and murdered, and made numerous references to her Muslim faith. Her phone number and home address were posted on a social network, and the threats against her are continuing even though she has clarified that the Tweet was false

The last three days there has been a concerted effort in the form of multiple fake tweets, photoshopped tweets, morphed videos on twitter / fb that even the most sensible have fallen for and have gone viral. Those asking me to clarify, please use your own discretion. pic.twitter.com/alf3qkiQSq

— Rana Ayyub (@RanaAyyub) April 23, 2018

While she clarified that the tweet was false, her phone number and residential address was posted online, continuing the threating messages.