Philippine journalist Maria Ressa, a prominent critic of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, was rearrested yesterday in what press freedom advocates called retaliation for her news site’s dogged coverage of the government.
Ressa and her Web site Rappler have been hit with a string of criminal charges in recent months that have sent shockwaves through the Philippines’ media scene, prompting allegations that she and her team are being targeted for their work.
The latest charges allege she and colleagues at Rappler violated rules on foreign ownership of media.
Photo: Reuters
She was taken into custody after arriving at Manila’s airport from a trip abroad.
“The press in this country is under attack... We won’t take the threat sitting down,” Ressa told reporters after her release on the equivalent of US$1,700 bail. “The rule of law has been weaponized.”
Rappler has reported extensively, and unflatteringly, on Duterte’s narcotics crackdown that has claimed thousands of lives and which rights groups say might be a crime against humanity.
Ressa, 55, and six other current or former Rappler associates are accused of allowing foreigners, through a 2015 bond sale, to take control of the Web site.
Under the constitution, investment in media is reserved for Filipinos or Filipino-controlled entities.
This case and most of the 10 previous ones against Rappler spring from the 2015 investment from the US-based Omidyar Network, which was established by eBay founder Pierre Omidyar.
Philippine authorities first arrested Ressa last month on an Internet libel charge, which sparked international condemnation and allegations that she was being targeted for Rappler’s critical stance on Duterte.
“This case against Ressa ... is unprecedented and speaks volumes of the Duterte administration’s determination to shut the Web site down for its credible and consistent reporting on the government,” said Carlos Conde of Human Rights Watch.
Ressa insists the site is not anti-Duterte, saying it is just doing its job to hold the government to account.
The country’s corporate regulator last year revoked Rappler’s business license over the 2015 bond sale, but the site continued operating as it appealed the case.
Ressa’s legal team said this latest case would not stop Rappler from doing its work.
“Let it be clear that these acts of harassment will not deter our clients from doing their duty as journalists,” legal counsel Francis Lim said in a statement. “We believe in the rule of law.”
The government has denied that the cases against Ressa and Rappler are connected to journalism, saying the law is being applied fairly.
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