Maria Ressa

The following statement on the February 13 arrest of Filipino journalist Maria Ressa was issued by the Filipino human rights movement, iDefend.

iDefend condemns the arrest of Maria Ressa by the National Bureau of Investigation on February 13 on charges of cyber-libel.

Ressa’s arrest is the latest demonstration of how government critics are silenced in a manner which mirrors a familiar style of the late Marcos dictatorship.

Press freedom in the Philippines is under increasing threat following the arrest and prosecution of journalist Maria Ressa, a critic of Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte, writes Merck Maguddayao.