Gauri Lankesh and Sudip Dhutta Bhaumik were two of 18 journalists added to the Journalists Memorial by Newseum.

Newseum is a museum in Washington, USA, under the Freedom Forum Institute, dedicated to highlighting the importance of free press, which selects particular journalists to add to the memorial, in order to showcase the dangers journalists face around the world.

The ceremony held in Washington saw the likes of Lankesh and Bhaumik added to the memorial in addition to 16 other fallen members of the media from around the world. Of the 18 members of media added to the memorial this time, 8 were women.  

Newseum said, "An activist and editor of her own weekly magazine, Gauri Lankesh Patrike, Lankesh frequently criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Hindu nationalist agenda."

Lankesh was shot dead outside her house on September 5 2017, by a gunman on a motorcycle.

Bhaumik was allegedly shot by the bodyguard of Tapan Debbarma, a local paramilitary head, after having written an article which exposed corruption in the force.

“Sudip’s only crime was that he had exposed a number of financial irregularities and corruption cases in which Debbarma was involved,” said Newseum of Bhaumik.

One other South Asian journalist, Yameen Rasheed from The Daily Panic in Maldives was also added to the memorial.

The two-story glass memorial has the names of 2,323 reporters, editors, photographers and other members of the media fraternity who lost their lives doing their duty. The memorial also holds the names of more than 80 Indian journalists.

A gallery featuring the photographs of the journalists whose names are on the memorial and kiosks with information about them are also accessible to those visiting the museum.

"All the journalists recognised on this memorial this year faced unprecedented dangers as they worked to report the news, often in countries where press freedom is imperiled or nonexistent," said Cathy Trost, Executive Director of the Freedom Forum Institute, in a statement to the press.