Hold The Line Coalition welcomes acquittal of Maria Ressa and Rappler, calls for all remaining cases to be closed
January 18, 2023 – The Hold the Line Coalition (HTL) welcomes Wednesday’s Philippine Court of Tax Appeals verdict, which has acquitted Nobel laureate Maria Ressa and Rappler, the news organization she founded, of tax evasion in four of seven cases brought by the government. If they had failed to defend the charges, Ressa could have…
Rappler contributor Frank Cimatu convicted of cyber libel in the Philippines
Bangkok, December 14, 2022 – Philippine authorities should not contest the appeal of journalist Frank Cimatu, and should stop filing spurious cyber libel charges against members of the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On Tuesday, December 13, a Quezon City court convicted Cimatu, a contributor to the independent news outlet Rappler, of…
Killing with impunity: Vast majority of journalists’ murderers go free
By Jennifer Dunham/CPJ Deputy Editorial Director No one has been held to account in nearly 80% of journalist murders during the last 10 years, CPJ’s 2022 Global Impunity Index found, and governments show little interest in tackling the issue. Published November 1, 2022 Statistical table | Methodology | Database: All journalists murdered for their work…
Hold the Line Coalition urges Philippine president to keep Maria Ressa out of jail
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. should demonstrate his stated commitment to press freedom by ending the State’s attempts to jail Nobel Laureate Maria Ressa, who is threatened with imprisonment in a Philippine jail, the Hold the Line Coalition has urged. This week, the Philippine Court of Appeals rejected Ressa’s motion for a reconsideration of her 2020…
CPJ renews calls on Philippines’ Marcos to drop cyber libel, other cases against Nobel laureate Maria Ressa
Bangkok, October 11, 2022 – In response to news reports that the Philippine Court of Appeals has denied Rappler CEO and executive editor Maria Ressa’s motion for reconsideration of her cyber libel conviction, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement on Tuesday: “CPJ laments the Philippine Court of Appeals decision against Rappler’s Maria Ressa and reiterates its call on…
Radio journalist Percival Mabasa shot and killed in the Philippines
Frankfurt, Germany, October 4, 2022–Philippine authorities must launch a swift and thorough investigation into the killing of radio commentator Percival Mabasa and bring the perpetrators to justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. Mabasa–better known as Percy Lapid–was gunned down inside his vehicle by unidentified motorcycle-riding assailants in Las Piñas City on the night…
Hold the Line Coalition demands immediate decriminalisation of libel in the Philippines as Maria Ressa faces extended jail sentence
The Hold The Line Coalition condemns the Philippine Court of Appeals’ decision to uphold the conviction of Nobel Laureate Maria Ressa and former Rappler researcher Rey Santos Jr on trumped-up charges of cyber libel. Alarmingly, the court’s rejection of their appeal brings Ressa and Santos Jr a step closer to possible imprisonment. The appeal judges…
Radio reporter Federico Gempesaw shot and killed in the Philippines
Bangkok, July 5, 2022 – Philippine authorities must launch a swift and comprehensive investigation into the killing of radio journalist Federico “Ding” Gempesaw and swiftly bring the perpetrators to justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On the morning of June 29, two masked assailants shot Gempesaw at close range in front of his…
Shutdown order against Rappler must be revoked immediately
The Hold the Line Coalition condemns the historic shutdown order against Rappler approved by the Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) this week. By reinforcing an earlier decision to revoke Rappler’s certificates of incorporation, the ruling effectively confirms the shuttering of the independent news outlet. “The SEC shutdown order is part of a multi–pronged attack…
Philippine authorities order Rappler to shut down, block access to 2 news websites
Bangkok, June 29, 2022 – Philippine authorities should immediately reverse their order to shut down the independent Rappler news organization and lift their blockages of the local Bulatlat and Pinoy Weekly’s news websites, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. “Philippine authorities must reverse their order to close Rappler and to block access to independent news websites Bulatalat and Pinoy Weekly, and cease fabricating spurious…