India: Remembering journalist Gauri Lankesh

An outspoken voice for human rights who challenged right-wing extremism until her last breath

September 5, 2020, Bangalore, India -- The Coalition For Women In Journalism (CFWIJ) pays tribute to journalist Gauri Lankesh on the third year of her brutal murder. Senior journalist and activist Gauri Lankesh was shot dead on September 5, 2017 after unidentified assailants opened fire outside her residence in Bangalore. Known for her fearless and outspoken attitude, Lankesh was the editor of ‘ Gauri Lankesh Patrike’ a weekly Kannada tabloid, besides owning some other publications. In her works, she had often voiced her opinions against communal politics as well as the caste system. She was a staunch critic of right-wing and Hindutva politics as was evident from her works published in different media outlets. In her social media posts, she had also flagged the issue of fake news and propaganda. Gauri was honored with Anna Politkovskaya Award for speaking against right-wing Hindu extremism, campaigning for women's rights and opposing caste based discrimination.

Gauri, who was 55 then, was followed from her office and shot with at least eight bullets of which three hit her in the head, neck and chest, killing her on the spot. According to OneIndia, one of the killers, who was waiting for her near her house, fired the first shots at her, while the two others, who are suspected to have followed her from her office, joined the initial shooter thereafter. 

In June 2018, the Special Investigation Team stated that Parashuram Waghmore had confessed to the murder: he claimed that he was told to kill someone to save his religion, and that he did not know who the victim was. 

The brutal murder of Gauri Lankesh provided a stark glimpse into what journalists in India are increasingly facing and to our dismay the situation for women journalists did not improve in the past three years. Most recently Rana Ayyub received death threats for her articles critical of the government’s treatment of Kashmiri citizens, some of the online attackers reminding her of “what happened to Gauri Lankesh”.

CFWIJ, following the murder of Gauri Lankesh launched a Twitter campaign with #ThreatsToWIJ hashtag. The campaign which brought together journalists from around the world and highlighted the grave threats women in journalism face, often without getting due attention.

Since the cruel attack against Gauri Lankesh which might as well be seen as an attack towards all dissidents and the democracy itself, stifling of voices of women journalists did not come to an end. India still remains to be one of the most dangerous countries for women journalists. We have been observing an unprecedented amount and types of threats to women journalists in India, especially in the last two quarters following the outbreak of Covid-19.

Gauri Lankesh’s murder must also be a reminder to the international community and governments of how online attacks against women journalists have offline, often deadly consequences. Sources close to Gauri explained that she was constantly targeted in hate campaigns on Twitter. Indeed, globally women journalists face vicious attacks for their journalism, these orchestrated online attacks seem to be especially on the rise in South Asian countries such as India and Pakistan.

The Coalition For Women In Journalism remembers Gauri Lankesh with utmost respect and is determined to stand with women journalists around the world who combat such attacks with awareness and continued diligence. Continued attacks against women journalists in India proves that the climate of hatred and intolerance seems to be alive, we urge the Indian authorities to develop a zero-tolerance policy towards such dastardly acts, to ensure safety of journalists and guarantee freedom of the press in the country.