Rana Ayyub honored with highest Press Freedom award of US, becomes first Indian to achieve feat
Says “there is no free press in India anymore” in powerful acceptance speech
New York: Indian journalist Rana Ayyub was on Wednesday received the prestigious John Aubuchon Press Freedom Award at the 2022 Fourth Estate Award Gala.
The award is conferred by the National Press Club of Washington DC and is the club’s highest honor of Press Freedom.
This year’s Aubuchon #pressfreedom international honoree is Rana Ayyub! She is an investigative journalist living in India and a Washington Post Global Opinions contributor, the NPC Journalist Institute wrote in its tweet.
“We are pleased to name Rana Ayyub the 2022 John Aubuchon Award International Honoree. Ms. Ayyub’s courage and skill in investigative work has been evident throughout her distinguished career and her criticism of the government has been met with an unwelcome assault on her rights and freedom of expression.” National Press Club President Jen Judson and National Press Club Journalism Institute President Gil Klein had said earlier this year while announcing Rana Ayyub’s name for the award.
Ayyub after her name was announced in July 2022, dedicated the award to her colleagues who are lying in different prisons across the country. “Dedicating this to my colleagues Mohd. Zubair, Siddique Kappan, and Asif Sultan incarcerated for speaking truth to power,” she had said.
In her acceptance speech on Wednesday, Rana Ayyub said that there is no free press in India anymore. “I’m here, trying to feel less alone at a time I feel very lonely” she added in her speech.
"I happen to be a Muslim & a woman. How dare I speak? ... Thank you for making me feel less alone & isolated." She further added.
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WB school jobs 'scam': SC rejects plea of TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee, his wife against ED summons
New Delhi(PTI): The Supreme Court on Monday rejected a plea by TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee and his wife Rujira Banerjee against an Enforcement Directorate summons in connection with its probe in an alleged scam in school jobs in West Bengal.
A bench comprising justices Bela Trivedi and Satish Chandra Sharma pronounced the verdict on Monday. It was reserved on August 13.
The Trinamool Congress MP and his wife had challenged the Enforcement Directorate's summons in connection with the agency's probe in the money laundering aspect of the case.
They had said the ED cannot seek their presence for questioning at New Delhi and it has to happen at their ordinary place of residence that is Kolkata.
