WASHINGTON – The United States urged the Philippines to quickly resolve a case against arrested journalist Maria Ressa and allow her and her news site Rappler to “operate freely.”
A State Department spokesperson on Friday said the United States was “concerned” about the arrest of the prominent critic of President Rodrigo Duterte and called on the Philippines to respect freedom of the press.
“The freedom of expression is a cornerstone of any truly democratic society and a fundamental freedom recognized by both the United States and the Philippines. Maria Ressa is a highly respected and experienced journalist,” the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson added: “We hope these charges will be resolved quickly, in a way that fully respects the freedom of expression, allows Ms. Ressa and Rappler to continue to operate freely, and is consistent with the Philippines’ tradition of a free and independent press.”
Ressa was rearrested early Friday after arriving at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on charges that she and her colleagues at Rappler violated rules on foreign ownership of media.
She was released on bail Friday afternoon, describing her second arrest and her seventh time to post bail in over a month as harassment.
“I will not run away from any of this charges because I want to mark every single action the Philippine government takes,” she said. “It shows you how intolerant of journalists this government is.”
Pasig City prosecutors had indicted Ressa and Rappler executives Manuel Ayala, Nico Jose Nolledo, Glenda Gloria, James Bitangca, Felicia Atienza, and James Velasquez for alleged violation of the anti-dummy law.
They were accused of violating the constitutional requirement for mass media to be 100-percent Filipino owned.
Rappler’s incorporation certificate was revoked in January 2018 because it allowed foreign-owned Omidyar Network to hold Philippine Depositary receipts.
The Philippines, under the anti-dummy law, prohibits foreigners from intervening in the management, operation, administration, or control of any nationalized activity.
Ressa was first arrested in February at Rappler’s headquarters in Pasig City over a cyber libel case. She is also facing multiple counts of tax evasion.
The Palace, on its part, maintained that the courts and police were acting according to the law.
“All are equal before the law. She wants to be treated differently. That cannot be done,” Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said.
Media group National Union of Journalists of the Philippines slammed Ressa’s arrest, saying “Rappler has clearly become the whipping boy of the Duterte administration as it seeks to silence or intimidate the independent and critical press.”
US President Donald Trump shares Duterte’s antipathy toward media coverage and has voiced admiration for him, but the rest of the US government has generally still advocated freedom of the press. (Agence France Presse)
