Human rights lawyer Amal Clooney accuses the Philippine government of an “increasingly transparent campaign” to silence Maria Ressa after the journalist was charged with cyber-blasphemy for the third time.
Ressa, one of the most prominent journalists in the Philippines, is already facing a series of legal charges that could lead to up to 100 years in prison.
Last week, Ressa, CEO of news website Rappler, was re-arrested for a story that suspected students paid a university professor in exchange for a pass – a report she did not write.
Ressa, who is currently on bail, was convicted of cyber-blasphemy in June in connection with a separate report alleging corruption by a Supreme Court justice. She is appealing against the verdict, which could lead to up to six years in prison.
In November, she was again charged with cyber-libel in connection with a previous tweet she sent. The tweet refers to a published news report describing alleged ties between the judge and a businessman.
Clooney, the Lebanese-British lawyer representing a team of international lawyers representing Ressa, said she hoped the Philippine judges would put an end to the “judicial barracks” and added: “Here we go again: this is the “Tenth arrest warrant issued against Ms Ressa and the third defamation prosecution for a story of public interest,” she said.
“This is the last step in the Philippine government’s increasingly transparent campaign to silence her and shut down her news website, just as they shut down the country’s leading broadcaster.”
The broadcaster ABS-CBN was forced out of the air in May by a termination order after the franchise license expired. The network, which has been repeatedly attacked by President Rodrigo Duterte, has not yet been able to renew its license.
Caoilfhionn Gallagher QC, who also leads the international advocacy team that works for Ressa, said the journalist is being punished for Rappler’s reporting. ‘The prosecutor should never have charged Ms Ressa with this’ crime’. The court should not have issued an arrest warrant, and must now reject this unfounded prosecution, ‘she said.
Rappler scrutinized Duterte’s administration, exposed botmen, exposed corruption and documented his brutal anti-drug campaign, which some estimate led to tens of thousands of extrajudicial killings.
The president accused Rappler of publishing “fake news”.
Rafael Talabong, a reporter for Ressa and Rappler, who wrote the story and claims that a professor accepted the payment to pass students, posted bail of 30,000 pesos ($ 625) each Thursday. Ressa’s lawyers say the article was in the public interest and supported by various sources of evidence.
Prior to publication, Rappler contacted the professor several times to answer for the allegations, but he did not comment on the allegations. In his subsequent complaint to the police, he said the story contained ‘defamatory, malicious and defamatory statements’.
In addition to the charges of cyberbullying, Ressa is also facing two criminal cases over illegal foreign ownership in her companies, and investigations into her old tax returns.