A small price to pay for press freedom, Helle Lyng writes on X
NEW DELHI — Helle Lyng, the Norwegian journalist who grabbed headlines for questioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Oslo, has claimed that her Facebook and Instagram accounts have been suspended.
In a Wednesday post on X, Lyng wrote that her Instagram account had been suspended.
“Throughout all day, I have struggled to log onto my Instagram account. Now I have been suspended. It is a small price to pay for press freedom, but I’ve never experienced it before,” she wrote.
“If you’re trying to reach me on Instagram or Facebook, I would like to let you know I have been suspended from both accounts. I have wanted to respond to as many Indians as possible, but my responses will now be delayed. I hope I will get my accounts back,” she wrote while tagging Meta.
Lyng’s robust questioning had gained attention after she confronted Modi on alleged human rights violations in India during his visit to the Norwegian capital on May 18 as part of his Europe tour.
Earlier, she had asked the Ministry of External Affairs of India why Modi does not hold press conferences at home or abroad.
The journalist said she was unaware of the reason behind the suspension of her accounts. “Would someone explain to me how I got suspended from Instagram and Facebook? I am trying to understand if it was because of the two-step verification being misused by others or if there was something else. Also, does anyone have advice on how I can secure my accounts if I get them back?” she posted.
In a separate video post, Lyng can be heard striking up a conversation with the Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store. According to her X post, the international journalist asked Store, “Why Norway refers to India as a democracy when the Indian PM has not had a press conference in 12 years at home?”
She added further, “Isn’t a free press important to democracy anymore? Støre points to India holding elections. He does acknowledge differences in press culture, but also points to India’s large population.”
“Norway has the number one spot on the World Press Freedom Index, India is at 157th, competing with Palestine, the Emirates & Cuba. It is our job to question the powers we cooperate with,” she added on X.
The official account of the Indian Embassy in Norway has since directly responded to Lyng, saying that they were organising a press briefing on the Indian PM’s visit at a Radisson Hotel and she was “most welcome to come and ask” her questions at the event.
